Geemu no Joo (Queen of Games)
by TheCartoonusMaximus
Summary: An ancient pharaoh searches to find his place in the current day and age, and a teenager named Yuugi works her way through the troubles of life. Fem!Yugi, fem!Ryou, Y/YY, RB/YB, M/YM, other pairings. Will publish as I go. Story icon by me.
1. Prologue

**Hello folkses! This story, "Geemu no Joo," is going to be a rewrite of my older story "the Queen of Games." I'm rewriting that one because I could no longer figure out where exactly where I was going with the story and the more I looked at it, the more I began to strongly dislike my cliched forms of the characters. But, I did keep the plot, I'm just reworking it into something else. Those of you who have already read "the Queen of Games" will probably recognize a few pieces here and there as the story goes on, but there's plenty of new things involved too, for example there will be more explanation up front and the characters will be more in character (hopefully).**

 **Having said that, here's the prologue. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think!**

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Prologue:

"Are you certain of your direction?" Pegasus asked, pulling his cascading locks of hair away from his face. Barely out of his teens, the young male was using some of his family's wealth to explore the strangest reaches of the world, a suggestion from his parents, to 'take his mind off things.' And it helped a bit; it was easier to focus on the sights he saw of the unknown than to think for very long about his recent loss.

He'd been to many of the most faraway places, visited temple and tomb alike with his archeological crew, and now he sat in the back seat of a jeep, driving across the Egyptian desert. A strange man he'd met had promised him a rare treat – visiting the legendary Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh. The promise sounded even more intriguing when he was informed that the Egyptian government had no knowledge of or control over the Tomb, meaning that he could enter it at his own leisure.

"Do you really know where we're going?!" The rich boy demanded sharply, not having received an answer for his last question.

The stranger he'd met turned around from the passenger seat he was sitting in in front of him, his earrings slapping his cheeks gently as he fixed the younger male with a serious face. "Believe me, Pegasus. I know of what I speak. The Tomb should not be far, now."

"If you say so, Shadi."

Maximilian Pegasus was beginning to regret picking up this stranger in the turban. He knew virtually nothing about the man, aside from his name was Shadi, he claimed to know a lot about the tombs of the Pharaohs, and that was everything he knew. Frankly, Pegasus thought the man looked a bit like the silly 'fortune-tellers' that he saw at carnivals as a child.

He was awoken from his thoughts when the strange man suddenly sat up straighter, pointing off into the distance.

"There it is," Shadi announced, keeping his finger steady so that the others could see where he was pointing. Sure enough, they could see a cave opening in the rock, even at this distance.

Pegasus leaned over the seat, already eager to jump out of the vehicle and go explore in the darkness. There was nothing wrong in his mind with a dank, dark tomb that had lain unopened in the sands for centuries – all the better to ignore his grief, to forget the face of his departed beloved.

They arrived at their destination and soon the men employed by Pegasus's family were stretching their legs and setting up tents to shield themselves from the hot sun. Their young employer simply gazed longingly towards the opening in the rock, looking at is as a child looks at a box of their favorite sweets.

"Should we go in, sir?" one of his men asked, warily eying the opening of the Tomb.

Pegasus only smiled, looking every inch like a boy and not a grown man. "No. You men may remain here for the time being. We might not even do any excavation, at least not quite yet. I want to look around within it by myself first."

His men looked at him with some concern, and he did his best to dissuade their fears. "Oh, pooh! I believe I shall be fine, provided the Pharaoh's mummy doesn't decide to awaken from his sleep!"

It was a joke, and some of his men laughed a bit, but Shadi's frown deepened. The stranger entered the Tomb before Pegasus could question him, though, and the silver-haired man was left to catch up to him as quick as his legs could carry him, oxygen tank and flashlight in hand.

"Tell me something, though, Shadi," the rich boy demanded, his voice betraying the amount of authority he was accustomed to swaying. He frowned when the other showed no sign of listening, or even slowing down as they walked deeper and deeper into the earth. "How did you know of this place when no one else did? And how could no one else know of this place, anyway? Surely by now someone has stumbled upon -"

"No."

Pegasus was surprised to hear the other speak. He had been making such a show of not paying any attention to the younger's questions.

"No other knows of this place," his guide continued, never once stopping as he walked further into the darkness. "Only I know of it, for I am the guardian of this place. Such was my lot in life and so it is now, as decreed by the gods."

Pegasus lifted a thin eyebrow, puzzled by the short speech. It felt as though the more answers he got out of the other, the more questions he had unanswered. Deciding to ignore it, he turned to the walls beside him, fascinated by the hieroglyphs.

Presently, the reached a door that led to the actual Tomb, and not just the cave that led to it. Shadi paused in front of the entrance, waiting patiently while Pegasus donned his oxygen tank and mask.

"Won't you need one?" Pegasus asked, puzzled and somewhat concerned.

Shadi shrugged one of his shoulder a bit, as if to say 'no,' and turned to the door, reaching out to push it open. Instead of touching the door properly, though, his hand slid through it, as if it were a mere illusion.

The strange man pulled his hand back, looking at it briefly before muttering an apology. "Ah. I seem to have forgotten myself."

Reaching forward a second time, he came in contact with the door, which flew open at his touch and released centuries worth of dust and decay.

Even behind his mask, Pegasus coughed. But, he drudged on, eager to discover the secrets hidden in the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh. He turned back to say something to Shadi, only to find that his guide had vanished. This brought him some concern, along with the certainty in his mind that he'd seen Shadi's hand pass through a solid door, but the young man was quick to dismiss those thoughts from his head. It wasn't like his strange guide was a ghost or something. That was simply too silly to think of!

Pressing onward and into the Tomb, Pegasus looked all around him, taking in the appearance of everything down here. The walls were covered with words and images, including many of the same figures of people. A commonly recurring image was that of a young boy, wearing the headdress of the pharaoh and clearly commanding great power. Others were of priests and priestesses, a white-haired woman who appeared to transform into a dragon, a male labeled 'thief king' by the hieroglyphic words by his head, and many, many monsters. Statues and jeweled trinkets of gold lined the walls and coated the floor, showing the apparent wealth that the Nameless Pharaoh appeared to possess.

Pegasus paused, studying the hieroglyphs carefully. His Ancient Egyptian wasn't very good, but he was certain that none of the figures in the images were labeled with names. A 'thief king,' a 'magician of darkness,' and a 'something-dragon' were all he could make out; even the boy who appeared to be the pharaoh had no name attached to him. Instead, there was an image of a empty cartouche, the place where the pharaoh's name should have been left completely blank.

The next few chambers were the same, and it wasn't until the fourth chamber that things became different. Now the writing on the walls seemed more urgent, and it showed the pharaoh and his cohorts summoning the gods to combat a great beast, eventually sealing the creature away with magic. There was some writing, which Pegasus couldn't read aside from the word 'sacrifice' here and there, and then suddenly there was a recounting of the pharaoh's funeral. Strangely, there were no mentions of his mummification, which gave the young man some confusion; for some reason, he assumed that talk of the mummifying was common in tombs like these.

The opposite wall, meanwhile, seemed to pick up where the first wall left off. Two figures had taken the throne, replacing the pharaoh and ruling in his place. They appeared to be one of the priests and a priestess from the other pictures, and the new images went on to tell of their short reign and the child they sired, but soon they both died as well. Pegasus couldn't read enough of the words to tell what they'd died of, but it almost sounded as if they died of grief, or heartbreak. Uncertainly, he moved on to the next chamber, pushing aside the heavy door that met him.

The fifth and final chamber was larger than the others, and it proved to be the burial chamber. Multiple sarcophagi, some more extravagant than others, lay against the walls all throughout the room, most of them centered around one particularly extravagant one. There were eleven in all, and seven of them were bound with rope, golden trinkets hanging from the knots. A gold eye, a necklace, a scepter, a set of scales, a ring with five spires hanging from it, an ankh, and a triangular puzzle. A thick, jewel-encrusted book guarded an eighth one, and the ninth was a long, purple staff with a jewel at the end.

Pegasus stared with fascination at the ancient coffins, debating about whether or not to disturb the dead any more than he already had. He didn't debate very long, as he suddenly felt hands against his back, pushing him towards the sarcophagi.

He turned around frantically, finding that Shadi was standing behind him once more.

"Go, Pegasus." The man in the turban told him, his voice holding an odd amount of urgency. "Open them. Awaken the pharaoh from his long slumber. The time is right, now go. Awaken the ruler and his court."

"I – I can't just open them like that! It's disrespectful!"

"It is even more disrespectful for you to leave them in there any longer!" Shadi suddenly cried out. "Please! Release them! Release me! Allow me to pass into the afterlife once and for all, and open the sarcophagus of the pharaoh!"

Pegasus backed away from the other, his eyes widening. "What do you – What are you talking about?!"

The strange man frowned, looking to the ground for a moment. "Please, allow me to explain. I am the guardian of this tomb, I told you, for it was a part of my destiny. I am a Priest of Anubis, as was my father before me and his father before him. I come from a long line of priests of the dead, and our sole purpose has always been to guard the tomb until the right one should come to awaken the pharaoh and his court.

"I never married or had children, and I was the last of my family. When it came time for me to die, the gods didn't allow it. I had been trapped here, wandering and searching for the person who would free the pharaoh and, in turn, free my own spirit."

He looked back towards the coffins, furrowing his brow. "Those golden items bound to them are imbued with great power, and the dark magic of the items has contained their life-forces. They are merely asleep, and are alive still, and they wait for you to awaken them."

Pegasus stared at Shadi, wondering if he was crazy for believing the man. His eyes shifted to the golden puzzle, finding it easier to look at. "... I can't."

"It is your destiny."

His hand reached into his pocket, pulling out his pocketknife and pushing the blade out. It trembled as he stepped forward, shaking and sweating, biting his lower lips between his teeth. The rope was old and disintegrating, and it fell apart just as soon as he touched it. He suppressed a cry as he caught the puzzle before it fell, and he quickly stepped back until he was standing a few feet away from the pharaoh's resting place.

Silence reigned for several minutes, making Pegasus oddly uncomfortable. It was too quiet even for a tomb. And then the sarcophagus opened, a face appearing, fingers tearing at the bandages wrapped around its face.

The undead pharaoh fixed his eyes on Pegasus, glaring so darkly at the man that Pegasus felt that his very brain was melting on the spot. The sheer intensity caused him to fall to the ground, and a voice full of power yelled at him in Ancient Egyptian.

He thought he heard the words "penalty game!" as he passed out.


	2. Chapter 1

**Greetings and salutations! Ready for the first chapter?**

 **I own nothing in here but the plot, which you're going to have to pry from the grasp of my cold, dead body before you can have it. Please enjoy this and, as always, reviews are appreciated!**

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Chapter 1:

[8 years later...]

Large boats began pulling up to the docks of the little island known as "Duelist Kingdom," their passengers heralding from many parts of the world. Countries of Europe, Northern America, Russia, China, the Middle East, parts of Central and South America and Africa, and even Japan. One such boat from Japan carried a large group of teenagers, talented kids who had been promised many days worth of enjoyable challenges for their skilled minds.

Eight years ago, a young man named Maximilian Pegasus had found the inspiration to create a game. But not just any game: a card game, one that focused on skill and strategy and encouraged quick thinking and reflexes. This game of his, called "Duel Monsters," had taken the world by storm, enchanting adults and children alike. Soon local competitions of the game popped up throughout big cities, giving out prizes to the person who could win the most often in the game of cards.

And, recently, Pegasus had announced that he would be hosting a special competition on his own island, a game of games in which the true master of Duel Monsters would be crowned. Adults, children, and teenagers were gathered from local competitions all around the world, and were being brought here to test their merit.

The very thought of it sent a thrill up the spine of Yuugi Mutou, a spiky-haired gamer aboard the boat from Japan.

Having grown up in a game shop and having done little but played games her entire life, Yuugi had jumped at the chance to compete with other people, many of whom she enjoyed watching on television as they battled in tournaments. And, with any luck, she might get to meet the legendary Maximilian Pegasus.

Her eyes shone as she looked out over the remains of the ocean as the sun rose, very little separating her now from this tournament to end all tournaments. Oh, if 'Jii-chan could see her now-!

She was soon joined by another young girl, this one with long, white hair and eyes the color of creamy espresso. "You're up early, Yuugi."

Yuugi turned to her stepsister, beaming. "We're almost to the island, Ryou!"

The other smiled before turning to look out at the island. Other boats were coming into the docks, unloading their passengers.

Other passengers on their own boat were starting to come out onto the deck as well, joining the two sisters. Among others that the girls recognized was Seto Kaiba, his younger brother Mokuba not too far away from him.

Ryou's eyes wandered towards the two brothers, and she frowned as she spoke to Yuugi. "I think Kaiba-kun wants to talk to you."

Blinking in surprise, Yuugi turned to find that her rival was indeed staring at her. She sighed before walking over to him, Ryou right behind her, her eyes meeting his intense gaze evenly.

"Did you want something, Kaiba-kun?"

He ignored her question, his eyes narrowing. "Where's the rest of your friendship club?"

"Probably still asleep below deck," she shrugged.

Kaiba grunted, looking away from her. "I just thought you should know that I won't go easy on you if we compete against each other in this tournament. That is, assuming you last as long as I do."

"I don't expect you to go easy on me. And I hope you know that I won't go easy on you, either."

He glared at her fiercely, turning away when she didn't back down. "Whatever. It's not like I won't have anything better to do than duel against you. Or your loser friends."

"Is that all you really had to say, Kaiba-kun?" Ryou asked, an edge to her polite voice.

Casting her sister a look that told her to be quiet, Yuugi held out her gloved hand to the brunette, her voice genuine. "Well, even so... Good luck, Kaiba-kun!"

"I don't need luck!" he growled, batting her hand away. "Especially not from a freak like you!"

If Yuugi was hurt, she didn't let it show. She just dropped her hand to her side and turned to walk away. "Come on, Ryou. We should go wake the others up."

It looked like Kaiba-kun was still sore at her for beating him so many times, but that was normal. His lashing out and calling her names that she'd been called all her life was not going to get in the way of her having fun in this tournament!

* * *

As dawn spread her wings over the waters, so was the private castle erected upon the island blanketed in the early morning sunshine. The sun's rays began to slip in through the open window of one of the castle's guest rooms, bathing the bed and its inhabitant in golden warmth.

The inhabitant, a certain young Pharoah Atem, simply pulled the blankets further up over his head, ignoring the insistent light of the sun that cried out for day to begin.

"I don't recall ordering you to rise," the son of Ra muttered in his native tongue, his voice causing a deep power to crackle through the air as he burrowed deeper into the bedding.

The door of the guest room was opened and he could hear footsteps approach.

"Who goes there?!" The Pharaoh threw off his blankets, turning to fix his would-be attacker with a firm look even as he cried out. "I summon Hassahn to my defense, by the power of Ra, Osiris, and -"

His outcry was interrupted as a young girl jumped at him, tackling him into the bed and wrapping him in a warm embrace. "Good morning, my Pharaoh!"

"Mahna!" He half-scolded, half-greeted his younger sister. "What are you doing in here?"

Karim looked in from his guard post outside the door. "Forgive me, my Pharaoh. I tried to tell her to let you rest, but... She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

Sticking her tongue out at the guard, the girl turned back to Atem, flashing him a smile bright enough to rival the light of Ra high in the sky. It was almost painful to look at this early in the morning, honestly. "The duelists are arriving this morning for Pegasus's tournament. Remember? You said that you wanted to join the competition, and that you haven't had a real challenge in a few millennia."

She cocked her head at him, her lips pouting a bit. "And besides, shouldn't a Pharaoh get up with the sun? Why are you still in bed, anyway?"

Atem frowned at his sister, looking away. "No reason. I simply felt like sleeping in."

"Really? Why?"

"Can't I sleep in if I want to?"

"Well, yes, but you've always been the one who was first awake. 'A Pharaoh doesn't lie about all day' you always said, and you wouldn't even rest if you were sick. Even when you were just the Prince you made sure to be up before the sun, prepared to help Father as much as possible, and he was so proud of your eagerness and your willingness to sacrifice your rest."

She frowned, frustrated even more as her brother refused to look at her. "You've 'slept in' every day for the past several weeks, and you spend many days closed away in here, not wanting to talk to anyone! Why are you breaking down like this, Atem? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Atem stubbornly glared at the floor, ignoring his sister. "... Is it wrong to spend time in my own room, now?"

"Don't avoid the question!" Mahna cried out suddenly, causing him to snap to attention. She had tears of anger in her eyes now. "All you ever do anymore is lay around in bed, and you won't talk to anyone. You station your friends as guards outside the door so the rest of your friends and even your own family can't come in. You shut me out and I can't even remember the last time I saw you smile."

She paused, licking her lips and trying to think of the right words. "I just... I love you, okay? It's hard to see my brother so miserable when I don't even know what's wrong. All I want to do is make you happy again, but I don't even know what's making you unhappy."

She fell silent, looking down at the sheets beneath her. When she looked up again she saw that Atem was staring out the window, not even looking in her general direction.

As she stood to leave the room, walking towards Karim in the doorway, she heard a small voice from the direction of the bed.

"I don't know... who I am."

Mahna turned back silently, giving her brother her full attention.

"I am not the Pharaoh anymore. I was presumed dead and buried for five thousand years, just the same as you and the others. Others ruled in my stead, and my reign faded away into history." Atem's mask of apathy fell from his face as he spoke, his face looking more and more lost as he continued. "My face and my name are meaningless to anyone now, my heritage utterly meaningless. The land that I ruled over, the land that I was born and raised for the sole purpose of ruling over, is no longer my empire, but an entirely new country that I do not understand. Their practices of government and religion are new and they baffle me, and now the very mention of my home causes my chest to tighten, fearful of what must be endured by those who I once called 'my people.'"

Slowly, he turned to look at Mahna and Karim, a frightened look in his eyes. "The identity I held my entire life is gone, and I don't know what I should do now."

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes, the former Pharaoh now out of words and the other two failing to know what to say. Their quiet was interrupted by the arrival of Mahad, the royal magician appearing out of nowhere.

Mahad looked around at the three unhappy faces, his own face full of nothing but confusion and concern as he took in each one of them. "I was going to announce that breakfast was being served, but... Is this a bad time?"

"It's fine, Mahad," Atem spoke before the other two could, throwing the blankets off of his body and moving to stand up. "We were about to head to the dining hall anyway."

The magician frowned when the other, though standing, made no move to leave the room, but rather fixed the other three with a gaze that read plainly his desire to be alone. Mahad said nothing against Atem's words, preferring to nod in understanding before touching Mahna's shoulder, taking her out through the door with him. "But of course, my pharaoh."

As soon as they were out of range, Mahad gripped his female assistant by both her shoulders, stopping her dead in the middle of the hallway and spinning her to face him. "Well? Did you talk to him yet?"

"Well, yes," she answered, hesitating for a moment, her eyes shifting away to the side. "Atem's... suffering from a state of depression. He says that he doesn't feel he fits in this world anymore, and that he's of no worth to anyone."

Mahad could see the frustration written on his assistant's face as she thought through everything that Atem must have said before he arrived.

"I don't understand," Mahna admitted. "I mean, I understand why he feels out of place in this era. We all did at first. But... Why hasn't he adjusted? The rest of us have."

"If I had to wager a guess, I would say it was because in his previous life Atem was born and raised for the sole purpose of becoming pharaoh. He never learned to do or had any interest in anything else, and thus he feels he has nothing to do in this life."

The young woman frowned unhappily, her brows furrowing into a 'v.' "... You're wrong, Mahad."

"Excuse me?"

"There was always one thing that Atem was interested in aside from ruling the kingdom: games." A smile was now growing across her dark face. "And, of course, isn't that why Pegasus is opening his private island to an army of strangers for the next several days?"

"Are you suggesting that we try to convince our Pharaoh to join in the competition?"

The two looked at one another, catching eyes and grinning. A plan was hatching in their heads.

* * *

The boat docked and Yuugi quickly unboarded and took in her new surroundings. Ryou wasn't too far away, and Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda trailed behind. The Kaiba brothers, a boy with dice earrings and a ponytail, and many others were not to far after them.

"We're here!" she crowed, pumping her fist in the air. "We're really here, you guys!"

This brought a chuckle out of Jounouchi, who moved to walk beside her, throwing an arm around her small shoulders. "Yup, we're at Duelist Kingdom, Yug! You ready for some fierce duelin'?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, good luck with that one, kids," another voice cut in, a sneer barely hidden by honeyed tones.

The kids all turned to see where the voice had come from, seeing an all-too-familiar blonde woman. Mai Kujaku, famous femme fatale 'Mai Valentine' of the dueling arena. They'd met her on the boat (along with even more unsavory characters) and already they were off on a bad start.

Anzu frowned. "What do you want, Mai?"

"What's the matter?" The blonde asked, rolling her shoulders and flashing them an easy grin. "I only wanted to wish you kids luck. I mean, you're going to need a lot of it if you're going to even last the first day, after all!"

"Oh, why don't you go dry up, gold-digger?!" cut in Anzu. The half-American blonde woman may have been talented at dueling, but that was nothing compared to her skill of pushing peoples buttons. Frankly, it was grinding on Anzu's nerves a bit more than was necessary.

Ignoring the cat fight that was about to erupt – and they hadn't even left the docks yet! – Yuugi stepped in between them, holding her gloved hand out to Mai in a gesture of friendship. No need to start off on this journey on the wrong foot. "Thank you for the well wishes, Mai. And I wish the same to you! Good luck!"

The blonde woman frowned and rolled her eyes, ignoring the petite girl and turning to walk away. "Right. Like I need any 'luck' from a little kid!"

Yuugi looked disappointed as the older woman walked off in a huff, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it; a silver-haired man in a red suit was mounting a podium, and it looked like he was about to say something important.

"Hello, duelists!" The man called out, flipping his long hair and smiling out over the crowd. "You may know me as Maximilian Pegasus, and I would just like to welcome all of you to my island! Before we begin, I'd like to explain a few things to you-"

Only half-listening while the game creator explained the rule system, Yuugi let her eyes wander over the crowd, searching to see if there was anyone else she knew. She frowned as her eyes lit on a second familiar face, this one even less favorable. Weevil Underwood.

The bespectacled male had introduced himself to her on the boat ride over. He'd seemed so nice at first, and so interested in discussing cards and decks with her... until he got his hands on the Exodia cards she'd been given by her grandfather and threw them into the ocean. While he was laughing, Jou had come along, effectively scaring away the little bug.

Somehow, being so close to him again made her feel a bit vulnerable, and she began looking around for her friends. Jou wasn't too far away, having become separated from her in the crowd, and she couldn't find the others at all. They couldn't be too far, but it was enough to make her anxious.

Feeling a set of eyes on him, Weevil turned to see who was studying him from behind. His eyes came into brief contact with a bright, violet pair that were resting over round cheeks and plumb lips. It was that Yuugi girl from the card shop. And from the look on her face, his actions had made her very, very unhappy.

Weevil looked the girl over, smirking to himself; it was the girl he'd met on the boat, the gullible kid whose cards he'd thrown overboard. His eyes lingered over her legs, his tongue sliding along his lower lip. Hmm... maybe he should try to get back on her good side. Might be worth his while, after all.

"Hey there, cutie!" He smoothed his hair back as he called out to her. He started to walk closer, ignoring the look of disgust on her face.

She turned away from him, focusing on Pegasus instead. "That's not my name."

"Aw, c'mon, baby! You and I, we got off to a bad start on the boat," he held out his hand, shoving his digits into her personal space and making sure she couldn't ignore him. "Why don't we start over?"

"Why don't you go take a long swim, Weevil?" the Yuugi girl retorted, turning to glare at him, her nose crinkled in distaste as she backed away from him.

"Oh, don't be like that..." He needled. When she wasn't shaking his hand, Weevil reached forward to make a grab at her, only to find another hand closed around his wrist. "Hey! What gives?!"

" _I_ give."

Tilting his head back, Weevil found himself face to face with that blonde idiot friend of Yuugi's. The guy was over twice Weevil's size and he did not look happy. Her boyfriend, maybe? Her brother, more like.

The hand constricted on his wrist before releasing him, pushing him away and nearly knocking him over in the process. "Walk away, Underwood."

"Heh!" Weevil let out his own barking chuckle as he regained his footing and walked off, waving a hand over his shoulder at that Yuugi girl. "Save a duel for me, princess! Preferably when your brother isn't around."

As the blue-haired worm left, Jounouchi growled lowly, still standing protectively over Yuugi.

"Arigatou, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said softly, her body slowly becoming less tense. "I... I'm not used to people who act like that."

Honda returned with Anzu and Ryou just then. "We were trying to get closer to Pegasus to hear him better. What happened?"

"Some little dweeb was pervin' Yuugi."

Looking concerned, Anzu turned to Yuugi, making sure her smaller friend was okay and not harmed into any way. "Did you punch him?"

"Um, no. Jou took care of it."

The brunette nodded. "Okay. Good. But if this ever happens again, I would recommend a good swift kick or even a knee to his crotch. Or, if he manages to get his hands on you or anything, grab his middle finger and rip it backwards as hard as you can. Both are very effective, but if even that doesn't work, you can always -"

"Ah, okay, got it, Anzu!"


	3. Chapter 2

**New chapter. Please let me know what you think of it when you're done reading it.**

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Chapter 2:

Malik skulked about in the room that had been allotted to him, utterly bored and without much to amuse himself with. Isis had confined him to this room almost the moment they'd been told that they could stay on Pegasus's private island. The posh, lush bedroom had quickly transformed into a prison cell, for lack of a better term for it. When the young traitorous tomb-keeper had argued against his sister's orders, she'd told him that he should consider it as a punishment for all the trouble he'd caused her in the past few years of their lives.

The tomb-keeper growled lowly, slamming a fist to the wall. How long did Isis think she could keep him here? For the rest of his life? He was tired of living like this, trapped away from the rest of society.

"I grow weary of these four walls you've hidden me behind, sister dearest," he muttered, pulling his fist back. The skin on his knuckles was cracked, and he could see small flecks of blood on the wall where he'd struck it.

"Hey, not so loud!" a voice called from the room on the other side of the wall. "You woke me up!"

"Why are you still asleep?" Malik called back, furrowing his eyebrows as he glared at the wall. He knew darn good and well who was on the other side and he was in no mood to be egged on by the self-proclaimed stealer of souls. "It's the middle of the morning."

"Hmmm … and that has _what_ to do with it, exactly? The Pharaoh only just got up himself not to long ago." Bekhura's voice was full of humor, seeming to find their ruler's plight funny. "And if the son of Horus won't awaken to greet mighty Ra up in the sky, I don't see why I should. I am the darkness, after all; the light wants no part of me."

"Quit spouting poetry and release me from this prison chamber that my sister insists on calling 'my bedroom!' Make yourself useful, why don't you, thief?"

He could almost hear the other grinning with his fanged mouth and wagging his finger. "Ah ah ah, that's not who I am, beloved tomb-keeper!"

"What's your problem, now?"

"I have a name and I expect to be called by it."

This time, Malik couldn't hold back his growl of utter frustration. "Bekhura, why must you be so childish?"

He jumped as the door to his bedroom was suddenly thrown open, a wiry, white-haired figure standing in the doorway, putting a lockpick back into his pocket.

"Well, while you're not exactly polite," the white-haired creature said in his silky voice, flashing Malik a wide grin. "That will have to do."

Bekhura was … a strange being. He was the product of a man known only as 'the Thief King' and an otherworldly monster, a god of darkness, called Zork; the thief had defied the pharaoh's reign and sacrificed everything to the god, giving up his mind, then his body, and then his very life.

Having been on friendly terms with the man, Malik respected the thief greatly, especially on the grounds that he'd been willing to give up everything to accomplish his goal. But, that man was dead. Zork, the god of darkness, was dead. In their place was this odd being that seemed to be a combination of the two, a creature who called himself 'Bekhura' and, for all practical purposes, was their offspring. In fact, it was rather hard to accept that the thief was no more, replaced by his far-flung demigod child.

The white-haired male glided into the room, leaping onto the bed and laying comfortably on the thick blankets and mattress. "Let me guess... Today is the day you decided to try to escape. All the commotion outside with Pegasus's game and with most of the others more interested in the Pharaoh's depression, escaping from under your sister's watchful eye of wisdom should be a snap, right?"

Malik grunted, almost amused. "You know me so well."

"Hm, let me guess even further. Since I am both Darkness and Tombrobber, you wish to enlist my help. And, since you and the thief used to be such good friends and since he was always willing to help you out in a pinch, you think I'll help you this time, too." A sharp grin. "Tomb Keeper and Tomb Robber, together again?"

His grin widened, a sudden thought occurring to him. "Fine then. Let's get out of this castle! But first – we should reclaim our Items!"

Malik nodded, a grin growing along his own dark face. Yes, talking with Bekhura was definitely worth his time.

* * *

Yuugi looked out from her perch above the dueling arena, ignoring the blatant cackling coming from her opponent on the other side. Weevil had just blasted away her Dragon Guardian and Fierce Knight with the tornado-like powers of his Great Moth, even after she'd drenched the field with a rainstorm from her Magical Mist card, leaving her with only 50 life points left.

She and the others had run into Underwood again, much to her dismay. He'd continued to make her uncomfortable and insisted on dueling her, telling her that, if she was lucky, he'd beat her quickly and claim a kiss from her.

He was disgusting and rude and his very presence made her skin crawl.

Naturally, she had to defeat him in a duel.

In the end, Yuugi had agreed to duel Weevil Underwood, if no reason other than to make him go away. So long as her friends were close at hand, she didn't mind dueling him. And not only was she dueling him, she was, in fact, seconds away from beating him.

"I call my Summoned Skull to the field," Yuugi said, her face snapping up to meet Weevil's. Gone was the meek look of defeat that he'd become accustomed to, and in its place was a confident grin to told everyone who the real victor was going to be.

The insect-obsessed boy frowned. "And what good do you think your puny monster will do? My Great Moth still has more attack points!"

Who did this girl think she was, anyway? Weevil Underwood lost to no one, and certainly not a cute girl; why couldn't she accept her fate and let him put her in her place once and for all?

"Of course it does," she responded to him patiently, as if she were explaining a complicated theory to a child. "But while you were busy gloating, you failed to realize something very important, Weevil. My monster is an electric-type, and I imagine you know how well electricity and water interact with each other."

His glasses slid down his nose as he blinked at her in confusion. "Yeah, but what's that gotta do with anything – oh. Oh no!"

"Oh, yes," she nodded encouragingly, gesturing proudly towards the dueling field and the monsters they had out. "Thanks to my Magical Mist, not only is the entire field soaking wet, so is your Great Moth!"

Not even bothering to allow Weevil time to retort, she raised her index finger, pointing at him threateningly. "Summoned Skull, lightening blast!"

There was a burst of lightening and a loud crackle of electricity as Weevil's Great Moth was attacked and burned to a crisp. The poor thing never stood a chance.

On the side of the dueling field, Ryou watched her sister alongside Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi, listening as the three of them argued loudly with Mai. Who knows when exactly the blonde woman had joined their small audience, but in all the time they had spent watching Yuugi duel Weevil she had done nothing but talk about how soon Yuugi would fail and how unrealistic they were being for cheering their friend on.

Ryou was getting the idea that Mai didn't have many friends.

But, it was nice to see Yuugi win a duel using the Summoned Skull card. Ryou knew that the card held a sort of sentimental value to her stepsister, who had been given the card as a gift from her grandfather. Too bad Sugoroku hadn't been here to see it – he would have been so proud!

Shaking her head to clear it, Ryou smiled widely as Yuugi stepped down from her perch. "Good job, Yuugi. Better claim your prize fast, though – that bug looks like he wants to fly away!"

"Not if I can help it!"

Surprised, both girls turned to see Jou approaching Weevil, grabbing the midget by his shirt collar and dragging him over with ease, ignoring the amount of thrashing and begging that came from his victim.

"You can't do this to me!" Weevil insisted, arms waving wildly. "I'm a regional champion!"

The blonde holding him snorted. "In case you didn't notice, this ain't the regionals. Now hand over them stars, pal!"

Within seconds, the two starchips on Weevil's dueling bracelet were resting in the palm of Yuugi's hand and Underwood himself was slinking away, hopefully not to be seen for awhile. Especially now that he had no starchips, since that made him automatically disqualified from the tournament.

"That's three starchips," Yuugi murmured, staring at her glove and bracelet. Her eyes both shone, barely containing her sense of awe and excitement behind their violet depths. "Only seven more to go..."

If she could get ten starchips, then she could go on to duel against true champion duelists, maybe even Pegasus himself, to determine the one true champion of Duel Monsters.

The mere thought put butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

Atem entered Mahad's room, not even bothering to ask for permission. All throughout breakfast both Mahad and Mahna had argued with him, trying to convince him to leave the castle and enter the competition that Pegasus had going on outside; he'd finally agreed, if for no reason other than to be left alone.

But, Mahad knew full well that Atem wouldn't go anywhere without the Sennon Puzzle. Anyone who had ever been a holder of a Sennon Item was forever connected to that Item, their very soul bound to the piece of gold for all of eternity. And the Puzzle – that was Atem's Item. It had been his father's before him, and being near the Puzzle gave Atem the sensation that his father wasn't so very far away.

So, without further ado, the young Pharaoh entered the bedchamber of the royal magician, his face taking on a look of surprise to find that he wasn't the person who'd come to claim their Item.

"Malik? Bekhura?" Atem asked, getting the attention of the two trespassers. "What are you two doing in here?"

The two other intruders turned around on their heels, staring at him with wide eyes. On the right, a tall, dark-skinned Egyptian with unkempt blonde hair, black eyes, and tattoos on his body to mark a tomb-keeper, scars dotting his skin here and there. On the left, a white-haired figure with fair skin and red eyes, fangs poking out from behind his lips and black claws extending from his fingers. Each held a Sennon Item in their hands and were looking at Atem like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"We could ask you the same question," Bekhura snapped back with a small pout, fingers clasped tightly around the Sennon Ring. The feel of the cool metal beneath his fingertips soothed him, and gave him a feeling of completeness that he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Malik sighed tiredly as he looked towards Atem. His eyes moved slowly away from the Rod, as though they didn't want to look away. "Listen, Pharaoh, we didn't come here for a fight. We're just..."

There was silence in the room as the former tomb-keeper tried to find the right words to explain. "We're tired. There is nothing to do in this castle, and I'm sick of my sister breathing down my neck all the time and being reminded of a past that no one wants to discuss with me. I need... _We_ need space to breathe, and think on our own, and we can't get that in here."

He stood up straighter, fiercely glaring into Atem's eyes. "Bekhura and I are going to go join the competition outside. And if you would consider that to be a crime against the crown, well, then... So be it!"

Atem looked over the two of them stoically. Blazing, red eyes passed over Bekhura, the creature of darkness anxious as he nibbled on a black fingernail, and then Malik, the tomb-keeper training his eyes on a point on the wall above Atem's head.

"... I wasn't going to stop you, you know."

They both turned sharply to stare at him.

"In fact, I'm going out myself," the Pharaoh told them with a grin. "The royal magicians thought it would be a good idea for me to join the competition, and if I have to go out there with that crowd of children foreigners in search of amusement, I don't see why you two cannot do the same."

Walking past them, he picked up the Sennon Puzzle, cradling the golden Item in his hands lovingly. "And honestly, I'm surprised that the two of you haven't left here long ago."

Turning on his heels, the Pharaoh left the room, slipping the Puzzle's string over his neck as if it were a necklace and calling one last comment over his shoulder. "See you in the competition, Malik, Bekhura."

Tomb-keeper and tomb-robber both stared after him, then at one another. Both were full of bewilderment,

Bekhura spoke first. "Well, that was... surprisingly easy..."

"Too easy."

The demigod flashed a toothy grin at his companion. "What's the matter? Suddenly want to fight the Pharaoh?"

Chuckling, Bekhura latched onto Malik's arm, tugging at him harshly. "Well, come on then, let's go. If the son of Horus isn't going to stop us, then why look a gift horse in the mouth? Let's go find some suckers to beat in a game!"

* * *

[line]

Two Egyptian adults mingled around in the crowd of competitors. The man wore his long hair in a ponytail, making no effort to hide the scars that covered the side of his face. At his side, the woman was covered from head to toe, wearing a headscarf that covered all of her head except her eyes, which were piercing and fierce. The pair from the Middle East had just unboarded their own boat not too long ago, having joined the competition at the last minute. They both scanned their eyes over the crowd, clearly searching for someone.

"She may not be easy to find," the man said softly, turning to his sister beside him. He ran a nervous hand through the long ponytail of hair down his back. "She's quite clever, after all, and she knows how to conceal herself."

The woman nodded, looking out at the many duelists who were scattering themselves over the island. "That's what worries me, Odion."

Her brother turned back to put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Do not worry, sister. We'll find her. You'll see."

"I hope you're right."


	4. Chapter 3

**(This chapter seems so short to me, but it _is_ finished...) Anyway, here's the long awaited Chapter 3, which I literally just finished last night.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoy it and reviews are appreciated, especially if you can tell me anything specific that you liked about the chapter. You're also welcome to come to the inbox on my tumblr blog and send me messages/reviews about the story there (and I'll undoubtedly respond quicker over there). The point is, I want to know what you guys think as readers.**

 **Ignoring the rant, read on!**

* * *

Chapter 3:

Golden bangles gleamed against the sunlight as the young Pharaoh removed his imperial jewelry. Mahna had told him many times over that it was long past time he'd begun to try making a life for himself in this era, but he couldn't help still dressing in the royal garb befitting the son of Ra. But, now that his sister and Mahad had twisted his arm into joining the competition that Pegasus was holding, he had to dress in appropriate clothing.

A soft chuckle alerted him to Pegasus leaning in the doorway of his room, the rich man eying him with some interest.

"So? Your magicians tell me that you've decided to join in on my little tournament," he said casually. Long, pale fingers moved to brush longer strands of blue-silver hair from his face.

"Yes... I agreed to their wishes."

"They seem to be pretty persuasive, especially that little sister of yours." The man edged into the room, looking the former ruler up and down. Atem had traded out all of his imperial clothing for a pair of blue jeans, sneakers, and a plain, white, button-up shirt. The Sennon Puzzle hung around his neck, completing his new look.

The man grinned. "You look very punk."

"Ha, ha."

Pegasus lowered his head, causing his hair to create a shimmering curtain to hide the fact that he was silently chuckling to himself. It was just so amusing to him to see Atem trying so very hard to blend into the current era and struggling so much to look like a normal teenager.

"You have your own deck to play with, don't you?" He didn't need to ask if Atem could play the game – he and his court had been the ones to introduce the English man to it, after all – but he wanted to be sure that the Pharaoh had the proper components for playing it in this day and age.

The former ruler smirked lightly, holding up a box of cards. "It doesn't serve to be the King of Games if you have no pieces with which to play, does it? Yes, I have my own deck. Even the cards you fashioned off my magicians."

"Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, you mean? I thought you'd like them."

Atem placed the deck of cards into a holster on his belt, designed just for that very purpose, his fingers moving with power and deliberation, as if he were a great warrior shielding his sword. As he did so, much of his dreary demeanor faded, and he turned to Pegasus, his lips tilted upwards.

"Oh, and I won't be the only new addition to your tournament."

"No?"

"Malik and Bekhura have already left to join."

Pegasus's eyes widened momentarily, right before his grin took over his face again. "Well, this ought to be quite interesting then, wouldn't you say?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft vibrating in his pocket as his pager went off. It was a simple message, letting him know that the first loser of the competition had just been removed from the dueling fields and was waiting to be escorted off the island.

Atem looked over when he heard the man giggling. "Hm?"

"A certain Weevil Underwood, well-known regional champion from Japan, has won the award of being the first duelist to lose in the tournament. He lost to an unknown teenager just minutes ago and will be transported back home before too long."

Atem turned away again, a small smile resting on his face. Pegasus's amusement was amusing into and of itself, frankly, and it certainly didn't take much to amuse the childish man.

"It's time," he said softly, more to himself than to anyone else as he grabbed a jacket and headed out the door. "Time for the pharaoh to teach this new era what it truly means to be a winner!"

He didn't quite catch Pegasus's eyeroll. "Always the dramatic, are we?"

* * *

"Hey, congratulations on your first victory, Yuugi!" Honda cheered, holding his hand out to high-five his smaller friend.

"The first of many!" Jou corrected, pulling the girl into a noogie and playfully mussing her hair. He grinned while she burst into giggles.

"Stop it, Jou!"

Their brief celebration was interrupted as they noticed that Mai was still standing there, watching them. She seemed lost in her thoughts as she observed them, or perhaps that she was waiting for them to notice her before she spoke.

"Good for you, Yuugi. You got lucky on your first round." She flashed a painfully sweet smile. "Don't let it go to your head, though."

Yuugi frowned at the older woman; Mai certainly seemed to enjoy putting a damper on things. She reminded Yuugi of Kaiba-kun in that regard.

Well, if the woman was going to act like Kaiba-kun, then Yuugi was going to treat her like Kaiba-kun.

She held out her gloved hand, meeting Mai's gaze. "I know you don't want to exchange pleasant remarks or anything, Ms. Valentine, but I still want to congratulate you on making it to where you are today. You must be a very skilled duelist – one of the best from what I've heard. It makes me all the more excited to duel against you."

Mai took the girl's hand, more out of surprise than anything else, gaping as the younger one spoke. She frowned as soon as Yuugi was done. "You're cute, kid, but not that cute."

She turned to leave, calling back over her shoulder, "But trust me on this, Yuugi... You and I will duel one another before this tournament is over!"

A smile grew across Yuugi's face, even as small complaints arose from Anzu, Jou, Honda, and Ryou. Maybe, someday soon, she'd win Mai over. It could still happen.

* * *

Malik wandered over the island, walking tall and erect as he looked around at his surroundings. Dueling arenas had been constructed here and there, and duelists were scattered about every which way he turned, sometimes in groups and sometimes flying solo.

He and Bekhura had split apart from one another a ways back. They hoped that they would each call less attention to themselves by doing so, and maybe avoid any unnecessary trouble. Even so, the blonde tomb-keeper had a bad feeling that trouble was coming his way, sooner or later. He reached into the holsters on his belt, running his fingertips over his deck of cards and the Rod in an attempt to put his mind at ease.

Malik continued walking, searching for a duelist to engage. He wasn't just out here to stretch his legs and smell the air, after all – he was here to stretch his mind, too. But, it seemed like entering a duel might be difficult, as he only spoke an older form of Egyptian, rudimentary English, and rudimentary current Egyptian.

"I didn't think this through quite as much as I thought," he muttered, leaning against a tree. "... The grass is nice..."

"SCREW OFF!"

… Well there went his nice, peaceful afternoon.

Turning his head, Malik began searching for the voice that was cussing someone out, their curses ranging between English and current Egyptian.

It was a teenager, his tanned skin and his physiology clearly marking him as a Middle Eastern. The most interesting feature about the boy was his hair, which, like Malik's, was entirely too light in color for his lineage.

The boy was arguing with an American – a man dressed like a street thug and wearing a bandana around his bleached locks, the bandana patterned like the American flag. Clearly, this man lived up to his country's stereotype of "proud and aggressive."

"Leave me alone," the Egyptian boy growled, teeth clenched.

The American wouldn't be ignored. "What was that, King Tut? I didn't catch that."

"I said f*** off, already, Keith! I won our duel fairly and you know it, and if you won't give me your starchip then your presence is nothing more than a nuisance!"

"Oh, my presence _bothers_ you? Well, ain't that just too damn bad!" Keith gripped the front of the boy's small shirt, pulling the boy onto his toes. "Maybe your _face_ bothers _me_. Now tell me how you rigged that game!"

"Just because you're a cheater doesn't mean I am!"

The American glared at the teen and let out a growl, his fist pulling back and aiming at the boy's face. It didn't ever make it that far, the man being distracted by a sudden pain in his groin before he could release his fist.

Malik frowned distastefully as he finished the American with a swinging hit to the back, knocking the man to the ground. He looked down at Keith, meeting glare for glare. "I'm going to count to five, and when I reach it, I don't want to see a hair on your head. One... Two..."

The American scrambled to his feet, growling and muttering as he limped away.

With him gone, Malik turned towards the modern Egyptian, who was busy straightening his shirt and the chains on his clothing. "A simple 'thank you' will be sufficient."

The boy finally looked up, meeting Malik's gaze briefly before looking away again. "... Thanks. I could have handled him on my own, though."

"Sure you could," the tomb-keeper said in a teasing kind of voice. "You were just biding your time as all."

He held his hand out towards the boy. "Name's Malik. You?"

"... Namu." The boy was hesitant, but he finally allowed Malik to shake his hand, although he did look at the taller one suspiciously. "You're from Egypt, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me, 'Malik,'" as if he didn't even trust that it was the other male's name. "Is your arrival purely coincidence or were you sent by my sister to keep track of me?"

Well then. It seemed as though Malik had company in the over-controlling-sister department.

He couldn't help but grin. "My own sister doesn't even know I'm here... yet. And once she knows, there will be hell to pay."

Noticing the discomfort on the boy's face but electing to ignore it, Malik stepped over to him, throwing an arm over the boy's shoulders. "Hey, I'm looking for a dueling partner. I was thinking maybe a skinny Egyptian kid, maybe even the kind that likes wearing short tops -"

"And what's wrong with my top?" Namu asked self-consciously, his fingers tugging downwards on his shirt.

"Nothing, nothing at all, I like it that way," Malik was quick to reassure the boy. "It makes you look very pretty. But what do you say, Namu? Up for a partner?"

"... My brother and sister sent you, didn't they?"

An amused hum escaped the tomb-keeper's lips. "I knew I'd like you. I knew the second I heard your voice... cussing out that thug-wannabe."

He released the boy, giving him back his personal space and moving towards a nearby dueling arena. "Come on, let's you and I go find some opponents, shall we?... partner?"

"Well... alright," Namu agreed after a moment's thought. He moved after the other, matching his pace. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. But just remember that I can handle my own problems, got it?"

If Bekhura or Atem had seen him now, they wouldn't have recognized the eager grin on Malik's face. Something about this boy... well, let's just say he really, really liked it. A lot.

"You got it, small fry!"

"And don't call me that, either!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Please enjoy this new installment! (Author's notes after the chapter)**

Chapter 4:

Anyone standing near the secluded side door of Pegasus's castle would have seen a young African man exiting the building, his face framed with bangs like lightening bolts and the rest of his crimson hair sticking straight out in every direction. His facial expression was nothing short of discomfort, and a certain level of fear, even.

"I wish Malik and Bekhura had waited for me," he muttered to himself. Ruler of an empire he may have been in the past, but going it alone was not an appealing prospect.

"You rang?"

Atem jumped in surprise. If he wasn't so used to the godling's behavior by now, he might have required a change of pants. "Behkura! Don't sneak up on people like that!"

The young god of shadows only smirked as he made his figure more visible, stepping out from his hiding spot beneath the shade of the nearby trees. "But what fun would that be, Mr. King?"

"Mr. King, hm?" The former pharaoh cocked an eyebrow at the nickname. "I gather you learned that particular phrase from your human parentage?"

Bekhura only grinned at him as the two began to move again, walking along one of the many island paths. His teeth looked eerie in the dim shadows cast by the tree leaves overhead. "I've... heard it echoed around in my mind. The dark memories of a dark time."

"Hm. So where did Malik get off to? I thought you two would be inseparable now that you're not being hidden away in your rooms anymore."

The other shrugged. "We decided to go our separate ways. " He frowned deeply, looking oddly lonely. "He's uncomfortable with me. He says he isn't, but he is."

"Bekhura, you're a god of darkness fused with a human, mind, body, and soul. It's enough to make anyone at least a little uncomfortable."

Another shrug was the only response he got. Honestly, he hadn't expected any more than that.

"So... How does one find a competitor in this game?"

"Pretty sure you just wander around until you see someone who looks worth your time," Bekhura answered. "There doesn't seem to be any scientific way they pick each other."

He turned back to Atem with his usual grin. "I believe I may have found the right competition for you, though. You remember Pegasus's friend, the one called 'Kaiba?'"

"The child prodigy and CEO of his own company, or something like that? What about him?"

"He's here. And apparently he's a big shot gamer in his hometown, or so his fans say. Supposed to be really good."

Well, that sounded promising. Atem gave the other a sideways look. "And where is this 'Kaiba?'"

 **[line]**

"Looks like a certain insect just got exterminated," Seto remarked, looking over the boats from a nearby ridge, watching as the first batch of losers were ferried off the island.

Mokuba turned to look, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "That's Weevil Underwood, right? Isn't he supposed to be some regional finalist or something?"

"Yeah. Looks like he already met his match, though. Pity. I had hoped that it would be me to put that bug in his place."

The Kaiba brothers were an odd pair, and they were well-known for it. The two were orphans who'd somehow come into the care of a rich man with his own company, and their stepfather had been found dead a couple of years later under mysterious circumstances; Seto, the older of the two, assumed position as the company's CEO immediately after. The two were known for the high marks that they received in their respective schools – Seto in high school, Mokuba in middle school – as well as for being unbeatable at games. Mokuba even had his own fanclub posse at the local arcade, where he held the top scores on several games.

It was rather pleasant being at the top of the world.

"Hey! Underwood!" Seto called, getting the attention of the duelist just before he boarded. "Who beat you?"

"Who's asking?!" Weevil responded in anger as he whipped his head around. His eyes widened as he realized who it was, his glasses sliding down his nose a little. "Oh, ah, Kaiba-sama! I didn't know you were here! It's truly an honor. How are things in the business world?"

"None of your business!" Seto snapped. "Just answer the question!"

"Fine. If you must know, I was defeated by some upstart girl named Yuugi. Weird name, but a cute face. Probably her first real duel, though – she was too cute to be a true gamer... "

Seto had stopped listening, his face frozen in time. "Yuugi... _You dueled Yuugi_?!"

The very idea made him scoff. A bug like Underwood wasn't worthy to lick her boots, she was so out of his league.

Yuugi Mutou was a nobody freak who just happened to be in the same class of school as Seto and just happened to have all the high scores in the arcade that Mokuba didn't hold. Upon learning how into games the two were, Yuugi tried to become friends with Seto. The two had dueled against one another, and, to Seto's surprise, Yuugi had won every time. This had led him to form a rivalry with her, and he anxiously awaited the day she finally slipped up.

It seemed that today was not that day.

He growled. "How long ago was this duel?"

"Huh? Uh... Twenty minutes ago or something, I guess. Why do you-?"

Saying nothing, Seto turned on his heel and marched off, Mokuba scurrying behind to catch up.

"What's up, 'nii-sama?"

"Yuugi can't be far if it was only twenty minutes," he muttered. "I want to have a talk with her."

The younger boy considered this for a moment, then nodded. It was understandable – by defeating a regional champion from their home turf with whom the Kaibas were already familiar with, Yuugi had stepped just a bit too far into their territory. She'd made it public that she was an expert gamer and the Kaibas – reigning rulers of the gaming community back home – had to be sure she was put back into place before she further made a mockery of their order.

"She doesn't even duel competitively," Mokuba said in disgust. "She just does it for fun. And she hangs around with those loser friends of hers. How were any of them even allowed on this island?"

Seto's frown deepened as he scanned the area, noticing a shock of tricolored hair. "They just got lucky. And what I do with lucky duelists... is crush them under my boot heel!"

 **[line]**

While Bekhura's directions to finding the renowned gamer were correct, as usual, it became very clear to the young pharaoh that Seto Kaiba may have been a bit too busy to duel right now. He seemed to be in a heated debate with a young girl and her group of friends. A smaller boy stood nearby, very likely the younger brother that Atem had heard Pegasus mention on one or two occasions.

They were speaking in an unknown language (it sounded like the Japanese that Pegasus spoke so fluently) and Atem couldn't be sure of what they were saying. It did not sound pleasant, though, and the girl seemed to be getting the worst of it. The argument was loud and aggressive, the brunette's stance threatening and almost territorial in nature, while the girl and her friends seemed to be unimpressed, as if this was a common occurrence.

Quite the charmer, that Kaiba was.

Obliterating him would be nothing short of a pleasure.

But, now came the real struggle – how to challenge this boy to a duel when you couldn't speak his language? Enough time with Pegasus had granted the pharaoh with the ability to speak basic, rudimentary English, but the language that these children spoke was not one with which he was overly familiar.

Atem cleared his throat loudly, causing the argument to stop abruptly as the teenagers all turned to look at him.

"Yes, well..." He shook his head to clear it before gesturing to his deck, then the tall brunette. "I challenge you to a duel, Seto Kaiba."

The brunette frowned, his eyes boring holes in Atem as he looked him up and down, sizing him up. He seemed to have gotten the message well enough.

The boy said something and turned to walk toward a nearby dueling platform, his younger brother not too far behind him. Atem headed toward the platform as well, vaguely aware of the girl and her friends coming behind them, seemingly interested in watching the duel.

The girl who had been yelled at caught up with him, moving to walk by his side. Another girl was right behind her, her hair creating a silver flash in the sunlight as she moved.

"Why are you speaking the old dialect of Egypt?"

Atem nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard those words. A Japanese accent covered the words, saturating them and making them sound a bit off, and the pronunciation wasn't quite right, but they were understandable. He turned to stare at the girl, taking in her bright amethyst eyes and her petite frame... and her hair. How had he not noticed her hair? It bore an odd resemblance to his own, with yellow bangs and spiky black locks that became purple at the tips.

"It's my native tongue," he said after a moment. "Why … why are you speaking it?"

"My grandfather is fascinated by the old kingdom. I guess I am too."

The Kaiba boy had already reached the platform and was waiting on them impatiently, yelling something at them that made the girl's blonde, male friend yell back.

Atem turned to the girl. "What did they say?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." She suddenly stopped walking, holding her hand out in front of her. "My name is Yuugi, by the way." She tilted her head toward the other girl who walked beside her. "This is my sister, Ryou."

The pharaoh took her hand, his dark skin clashing strongly against her much paler tone. "I am Atem. It is... a pleasure, Yuugi."

More impatient yelling came from both the Kaiba brothers and interrupted them, and Yuugi and her blonde friend yelled something back at them. Atem decided that Yuugi was probably right in that he didn't want to know what they were saying.

Shaking his head, he moved to mount the other side of the platform, preparing his deck with the hand still warm from Yuugi's touch.

"Ready when you are, Kaiba. Let's duel!"

 **[line]**

Time passed quickly as they dueled, and it wasn't too long before Atem made his final move, chuckling as he sent the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to the graveyard, draining away all of Kaiba's life points.

"You're out of points, Kaiba," Yuugi translated the other's taunts. She was oddly adept at Ancient Egyptian, it seemed, though why the male only spoke that language was a mystery. "And you're out of the duel."

Seto growled, snapping his teeth in aggravation. "Impossible! No one defeats my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Well, aside from Yuugi..." Jounouchi's voice drifted up from the spectators.

"And apparently this Egyptian dude..." came Honda's voice.

Even as Seto turned to glare at them, Mokuba was already launching a verbal assault at the two monkeys.

Yuugi's white-haired sister looked bored as she turned to Seto. "Well, it looks like Atem-san defeated you in a fair duel, Kaiba-san. Oughtn't you be handing over a star chip to him right now? He did earn it, after all."

Seto only growled, his voice sounding similar to that of a territorial dragon. Seto Kaiba was not one to admit defeat, especially not at the hands of a stranger who suffered from an inability to speak a modern tongue and bad hair days!

And especially not if Yuugi had befriended him in a matter of seconds!

Just watching the two trinettes talking together clumsily and laughing as if they'd been friends for thousands of years made him sick. But, much as Seto was loathe to admit it, he'd been beaten in the duel, and the rules were very clear.

Stalking over to the other side of the arena, Seto plucked off one of his starchips, tossing it in the general direction of that Atem what's his face. "Whatever. Take your star chip, weirdo. Enjoy your winnings while you can."

Having snarled out what was probably one of the most civil things he'd said in days, the CEO turned on his heel and stalked off, briefcase clasped firmly in hand. Mokuba fell in step beside him, sticking his tongue out at the geek squad over his shoulder.

He'd duel Yuugi another time. And he'd have to duel that Egyptian again, too. In fact, he'd just duel against the rest of Yuugi's posse, destroying each of them in turn just to get his point across. Let them have their winnings now, because there would soon come a time when they wouldn't remember what it felt like to really truly succeed.

Losers. Losers all of them. And Seto would be sure to remind them of where their place really was the next time he encountered them.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Weevil is horrible. I really dislike writing him.**

 **For the first part of this fic, the Kaiba brothers are going to be heavily inspired by their behavior in the early manga and animation (Season 0). It's honestly all I can do not to give them green hair and be done with it. They'll get to be more like their Duel Monsters selves later on, but for now they're pretty self-centered and generally not very nice.**

 **Yuugi understanding enough of Atem's dialect to get by because 'Jii-chan is an archaeology nut was the only practical idea for communication between the characters I could come up with. Atem already knowing present-day Japanese didn't make any sense. On the other hand, they can't talk very much when one of them is so limited in the other's native tongue; they're very likely both going to end up speaking English to each other and translating in their heads before too long.**

 **Yay! Early puzzleshipping! *throws confetti in the air***

 **Edit: DO NOT TELL ME TO UPDATE SOON! I literally always update this story as soon as I have the next chapter written and edited, and you sending me that makes me feel pressured and rushed and doesn't do any good for either of us. Please refrain from telling me to update.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Ugh, this chapter took so much longer than I wanted it to take, but I finally got it to where I was happy with it. Author's notes at the end of the chapter, but otherwise please enjoy this next installment!**

 **...**

Chapter 5:

There was a small 'click' as Atem slid his new star chip into place on his dueling bracelet, the brass and the chrome both catching the sun's rays and reflecting them brightly.

One star chip and nine more to go. Not a bad first duel, all in all. Hopefully only the first of many.

Yuugi's blonde friend was saying something that sounded vaguely congratulatory, but it was, of course, in Japanese. Atem only blinked in confusion and nodded out of politeness, glancing over at Yuugi for a translation.

She smiled brightly. "Jou was saying that you were great and how he always loves seeing Kaiba-kun lose."

"Oh... Um, could you thank him for me?" This language barrier was beginning to get very tiring. "Actually, do any of you speak English?"

He'd asked the question in the other language, just to see what sort of reactions he'd get. He was pleased to see understanding lighting on the faces of the Japanese teenagers.

"Yeah, we have a class on basic English," the brown-haired boy answered, looking confused. "You speak a dead language _and_ English?"

"I have an American friend." Atem shrugged. "I learned the language from him."

Yuugi smiled, switching to the other language after a moment of thinking. "Well, now that we're all on the same page, you should officially meet everyone." She gestured toward each of her friends in turn. "This is Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda, and you've already met Ryou. Jou is dueling, like me, but the other two and Ryou came along for fun."

"We came along to keep you out of trouble, Yuugi," Ryou commented. Atem noticed that she spoke English at a much faster pace than the others and that she had an accent to her voice that didn't sound Japanese. He tried to place her accent in his head but was unable to do so – he just knew it sounded vaguely European. Almost like Pegasus's accent, but not quite.

"Ha ha, very funny." Yuugi pouted while Jounouchi gently ruffled her hair, her friends all grinning at her in a teasing way. "I'm not that bad, you guys!"

"Oh no?"

Atem couldn't help but chuckle at the comfortable way the kids interacted with one another. But all good things must come to an end. He cleared his throat politely, getting their attention again. "Well, everyone, it's been nice to meet you all and I hope to see you again soon, but I should probably let you all go now..."

"Wait!" He was interrupted by the brunette named Anzu. "Are you competing by yourself, or do you have anyone with you?"

"… I have some friends around, but they have each gone their separate ways. I am alone."

"Then you should join with us." She shrugged nonchalantly when her friends all swiveled their heads around, staring at her in surprise. "What? Safety in numbers, you know."

Ryou laughed. "That's our Anzu. All about personal safety." She turned to exchange a look with Yuugi, asking her something under her breath; Yuugi answered with a shrug before turning to Atem.

"You could join up with us if you want, Atem," the smaller girl said. "I don't think anyone has any problems with that. Guys?"

"No problem here."

"Yeah! Anyone who creams Kaiba like that is okay in my book!"

Atem was a little taken aback by the children's friendliness. It made him smile. "Alright then. I would be honored to be considered a member of your group."

He was even more surprised when Jounouchi practically jumped him, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Welcome to the group, then!" the blonde said, his voice loud. He lowered it to a whisper, giving Atem a sly look. "Hey, think you can teach me how to out-duel that prick, 'cause you were pretty awesome out there."

"Jounouchi-kun!"

"What?"

Yuugi pouted at her friend's antics before turning back to the Egyptian. "And besides, I want to know why you speak in the old dialect as your native tongue. I figure this will give me a good chance to learn. And I think it would be fun to duel against you, too, since you're the first person I've met who beat Kaiba-kun aside from myself."

"Yes… I'd like that." The thought of dueling a worthy opponent was a promising one, especially one as kind and good-natured as this young Yuugi was.

And so it was that Atem, once a great and powerful ruler of an ancient and mysterious land, joined forces with a group of school children, heirs of their own ancient culture and representatives of the new world order.

 **GnJ**

Darkness fell across the island as day became night. And with the darkness came the duelists and other creatures of the night, of which Bekhura was one.

The white-haired Egyptian slunk between the island foliage and its shadows, reveling in the pale moonlight that bathed the land in its purity. This was the time of day he lived for, and he was eager to be on the hunt for a suitable opponent.

He smiled to himself as he passed by a small campground, taking note of the group of duelists as they slept. A badly constructed tent had been pitched over three sleeping bags, in which a few young girls were resting. Some open sleeping bags were strewn along the ground at the tent's opening, a boy with blonde hair and a boy with a spike of brown hair asleep with their limbs stretched out in every possible direction. A few feet away from them lay a recognizable form with spiky red hair and gold bangs, resting stiffly; Atem's stance was so uncomfortable looking, and it made Bekhura crack a smile. It was quite an interesting group that the Pharaoh had been adopted into, and seeing how things faired for him would indeed prove to be entertaining. The Pharaoh, roving around the island with a group of Asian children! Atem was probably wishing that he'd taken up Pegasus's offer to learn more of the current world's languages right now.

And, thinking of the Pharaoh, Bekhura wondered whatever had become of Malik. It had been many hours since he'd last seen the tomb-keeper… It was enough to make him worry. His tomb-robber spirit within was always worried for the tomb-keeper, just as it had for the past several thousand years.

But, enough of that. That life was no more. Now… there was only darkness.

And the darkness more than sufficed. It was no mere human who gave kindness and compassion to the tomb-robber – it was the deep darkness of the nights, the shadows that danced around and embraced him.

Yes, this was what Bekhura lived for.

Forced from his thoughtful reverie, Bekhura's ears twitched as he heard a familiar sound – the sound of crazed laughter.

He turned to follow the voice, soon arriving to a dueling platform hidden away in the thick trees. The source of the laughter, a large, dark man, stood on one side of the platform, openly mocking his young opponent; on the other side was a boy in his teens with tears streaming down his round, child-like face. Between the shaking legs, the quivering lower lip, and the wide eyes, the boy looked like the human embodiment of fear.

"Alright, weakling! I won our little duel – if you can call that waste of time a 'duel' – so now you have to hand over all of your starchips!"

When the child failed to dismount from his podium, his feet frozen in place to where he stood, the man lunged at him, gripping the boy's wrist and forcefully removing the stars from his bracelet. After retrieving his prize, the man laughed again, throwing the boy to the ground and continuing to stand over him until the boy managed to crawl away, hanging his head in shame.

Bekhura watched, his eyebrows furrowed together and a wide grin splitting his face in two.

He'd found his opponent.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, the dark godling stepped into the clearing, making himself known to the large man by calling to him.

"So? You're a coward who likes preying on weaklings?"

The large man glared at Bekhura, upper lip curling back in a sneer. "You dare call me a coward?! Do you not know who I am?!"

"Of course I know who you are. You call yourself 'Panik' and you can't even spell the word right. You were hired by Pegasus to act as one of the suits that roam the grounds, but you prefer to pick fights with children, intimidating them with your many scare tactics. All in all, you've proven yourself time and time again to be nothing more than a spineless coward who relies on winning through sheer bullying instead of actual skill."

He grinned eagerly. "I bet you don't know who _I_ am, do you?"

"Maybe you should write your name down, so I'll be able to tell people who you _were_!"

Ignoring the man's idle threat, Bekhura approaching the podium on the other side of the dueling platform, a slight skip in his step as he mounted it.

"What are you doing, freak?"

"I _think_ I'm challenging you to a duel," came the answer, along with the soft sounds of a deck of cards being shuffled. Red eyes glittered at Panik from the darkness. "Unless you're not man enough, I mean."

"WHAT?!" Nothing but pure, unadultered rage poured from Panik's mouth. "Not _man_ enough?! Listen here, punk!-"

"No. Don't tell me. Show me." He locked his deck of cards in place, engaging the dueling platform. Across from him, Panik did the same. "Let's duel!"

Panik shrugged, drawing his cards. "Your funeral, kid. But, if you're dueling me, I hope you're not afraid of the dark!"

As the man spoke, much of the electric lighting around the platform suddenly shut off, cutting off much what little illumination had already been provided. A man would have barely been able to see his own cards and monsters, much less his opponent's. Panik watched gleefully as the cocky duelist with white hair fell silent, staring down at his cards intently.

"What's the matter, boy? You're not looking too good over there!" He laughed heartily. "Lose all your cockiness without a nightlight?"

Lifting his face to stare the man straight in the eye, Bekhura laughed, genuinely amused by the man's futile attempts. "Oh, don't even bother trying to fear-monger me, mortal. It won't do you any good."

Seeing the man squirm under his gaze only caused him further amusement. "I do not fear the darkness. After all, why should I fear the one constant in my life? The one thing that always been there to guide me, nurture me, and care for me like a mother for her child? My relationship to the darkness is nothing short of a connection born of love."

"Quit spouting poetry and make your first move already, freak!"

"If you insist. I summon White Top Hat Magician to the field!"

 **GnJ**

The duel was pretty inconsequential, actually. Panik was becoming increasingly more and more unraveled as the game went on, as Bekhura came closer and closer to winning; by this point, the man was using magic cards to shield his life points and protect his monsters, rather than furthering along his strategy. And his constant act of defense was beginning to get tiring.

"Stop defending yourself, Panik!" Bekhura called to the man. Panik had just put up his Chaos Shield, surrounding his monsters to protect them from the next attack that was surely coming. "How do you expect to get anywhere in life if all you ever do is put up shields?!"

"Shut up!"

Bekhura couldn't decide if the duel was more boring or amusing, but he laughed as he summoned his next card. His next move was an attack, but not on any of the monsters Panik had out on the field… rather, the attack was going to be directed at the Sky Castle hovering over his monsters.

"What?!" Panik laughed upon hearing the other's call to attack. "You can't attack my monsters through my Chaos Shield! Your creatures aren't strong enough for that!"

His laughter turned to horror when he heard the destination. "M-my Sky Cas—NO!"

"Oh, YES!" Bekhura grinned, his face devoid of mercy as his creature struck. It was a glorious sight to behold, actually, watching as the great fortress fell from the air. Beneath it, Panik's monsters all panicked, trying to flee from the shielded area they were held behind.

"Too bad, Panik. With Chaos Shield up like that, there's nowhere for your monsters to escape to." He chuckled. "It must be hard, seeing your monsters trapped behind the shield you put up to protect them, unable to flee as they're crushed beneath your castle, all the while knowing that you're the one who sealed their dooms."

Panik's creatures cried out with shrill, fearful voices for their master, clawing desperately at the magic shield. Their struggles were in vain, though, for the Sky Castle fell swiftly, hitting the platform hard and crushing their bodies beneath it. The chorus of screams was silenced with a resounding 'crunch.'

White Top Hat Magician, Lady of Faith, and the rest of Bekhura's monsters, all stood by in awe, as if amazed by the horror and carnage they'd wrought at the hands of their master. Then the holograms dispersed, the playing field empty once more, and a light blinking to announce Bekhura the winner.

"Oh look…" he said with a smirk. "Looks like I win."

He directed his gaze toward Panik, who had his head resting on his folded arms on the podium, the look of horror now twisting with defeat.

"I expect you'll be handing over some of those starchips to me now, right?"

Maybe it was Bekhura's cocky voice and attitude that woke him from his reverie, or maybe it was the sudden realization that he was going to have to part with one or more of his beloved starchips, but either way Panik finally began to stir. He lifted his head from the podium, a wild look in his eyes.

"Oh, you _want_ something from me now?!" A roaring laugh escaped from his wide mouth as he threw his head back. "Oh, I'll _give_ you something all right, ya little freak! I'll give you _Hell_ is what I'll give you!"

He flipped a hidden switch, bringing strange machinery into view. As the machines roared to life, flames shot from the front of them, encompassing Bekhura's entire half of the dueling platform.

Leaving the younger duelist to perish in the warm tendrils of flame, Panik jumped from the podium, running away from the platform as quick as his long legs could move. He turned around to watch when he'd made it to the edge of the clearing.

"HA! Looks like I had the last laugh after all, huh, freak?!"

Panik laughed long and loud, not at all bothered by the thought of what he'd just done. He'd made a career out of scaring children, and overcooking an opponent or two didn't give him any cause for concern. But, as he continued to watch the flames… he noticed a dark silhouette slowly emerging.

"WHAT?!"

The all-too familiar figure of his lean, white-haired opponent was currently walking toward him. Quickly. And rather menacingly. And – and what was going on with his shadow?!

Panik could only stare in horror as the other duelist walked out of the flames, his skin untouched by the heat. He draw nearer and nearer, soon forcing the larger man onto the ground, until he lay sprawled out on his back.

"I never did tell you who I was, did I?" Bekhura chuckled as he knelt over the man, pleasure filling him as Panik struggled beneath him. "I am a thief and a stealer of souls. I am the darkness that dwells in the pits of Hell waiting to consume the souls of worms like yourself. To me, you are no more than prey, a bug to be killed beneath my boot if the hunt displeases me."

Bekhura had run out of patience with toying with this man. He allowed his shadow to expand to engulf the entire clearing, small tendrils of darkness growing out here and there. It would serve to keep his pitiful prey entrapped.

He pulled a card from his deck as a sudden wind whipped around, making his hair and clothing dance in its wake, the pendants dangling from his golden necklace moving with a life of their own.

"Man-Eater Bug, come out! I have a new toy for you, my pet..."

Within seconds, the sounds of screams filled the still night air.

 **GnJ**

The Arabic siblings looked up from the fire they'd pitched. They'd set up camp a bit further away from most of the competitors, seeking solitude in the late hours. It was the only way they'd found so far to pray to Allah in peace.

"Did you hear that, Odion?" The woman asked her brother. She looked concerned, but not for her own safety and well-being. "That howl... It sounded like the dying cry of a lost soul."

She frowned, staring into the dying embers of their campfire. "… We need to find Mariku."

Odion frowned. Their search for their younger sister had proved fruitless so far, even though they both knew she was somewhere on this island. Hiding from them. Trying to prove her independence.

Secretly, Odion Ishtar commended the youngest of the family. He understood how frustrated she was and how suffocated she felt, and he understood this search for freedom and personal identity that she'd embarked upon. All three of them had grown up with the strict rules that their father had put down, for better or for worse, and, now that he was gone from their lives, Ishizu was trying very hard to keep the three of them tied together with the same level of strictness. It was the life she was accustomed to, and neither she nor Odion desired anything more.

But... Mariku was different. She wanted room to breathe and grow, room that she felt Ishizu wasn't giving her. The two sisters had been fighting tooth and nail with each other – Ishizu trying too hard to replace their dead parents and Mariku just trying to be a normal teenager – and it had done nothing but put pressure on what little family they had left. That's why Mariku had run away to join this competition, and why her worried brother and sister were looking for her right now.

Odion looked at Ishizu, who looked so worried and tired. It was no secret that she blamed herself for this entire situation. The oldest Ishtar only hoped that Mariku could find it in her heart to forgive her and for the two to patch things up with one another.

"We will," he assured her. "Worry not, sister. We'll find her soon."

 **GnJ**

Back in the castle, something strange was happened in Mahad's bedroom. Specifically in the case that housed the Sennon Items.

A strange, black mist seeped out of the Sennon Eye, circling around the glittering object like a dangerous cloud.

 _Soon_...

 **...**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Finally, Atem is with Yuugi and her group and they're finally speaking the same language. No more impractical verbal translating.**

 **Bekhura, stop thinking about Malik and get a life.**

 **Writing Panik is a pain. I'm glad it's over. But I really did want to have Bekhura dueling Panik because of the role Panik played in the first version of this story, so it had to be done. Though really, after awhile the whole scene between Bekhura and Panik just became a big excuse to make Bekhura say "I am a thief and a stealer of souls!" I don't know why, but I always liked that line.**

 **The duel monsters seem to be ... behaving ... on their own at this point. Not quite thinking, but they are noticeably _behaving_ of their own will. It doesn't actually help the story in any way (and I didn't even think much about it until I was editing the chapter later) but it's interesting to note.**

 **Also I had to remember what kind of monsters Bakura has in cannon, because all the cards I was thinking of was just a lot of "no, that's Ryou's deck, not Bakura's..."**

 **Now we know who Ishizu and Odion are looking for (as if there were ever any doubt?) and I'm willing to bet that a couple of you know where that specific Ishtar got off to.**

 **Boss villain foreshadowing. Very important for stories with functioning plots. Absolutely essential.**

 **Anyway, leave a review if you feel like it, and I'll try to update as soon as I can. The next chapter we get back to Malik and Namu, and Bekhura meets a certain British-Japanese girl, so I'm really looking forward to it. See you then.**


	7. Chapter 6

**As usual, sorry for the long delay, guys. I don't write the Mariks well and I spent literal weeks just staring at this chapter, trying to figure out how to write these characters. I'm still not 100% happy with them, but they're not as bad as they were at first. I dunno, I'll let you guys be the judges of that. Aside from that, this semester in school is kicking my butt a lot harder than it needs to.  
**

 **But wow, the story has 35 follows already? Thank you all so much!**

 **So anyway, this chapter has spotlights for Malik and Namu, as well as Ryou and Bekhura. We learn a little bit more about them, we hit a rough patch, and somebody gets a kiss. (Yay! It's about time, right?)**

 **I promise I'll update as soon as I possibly can, but for now: Read on and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Chapter 6:

The stars were alight in the air far above where Malik lay on the ground. His arms were crossed behind his head, giving him a comfortable vantage point to see the night sky.

It was very late at night on the island. Most duelists had set up small camps here and there on the grounds and were resting up for the next day, but Malik and his new friend were both still wide awake. Namu hadn't really been interested in setting up a tent or anything – perhaps a good thing, since the boy didn't seem to know anything about camping anyway – and they'd both decided to lay on top of a small hill. The cool grass felt good under Malik's skin, and it was nice to simply lie still and stare up at the stars.

Namu sat up nearby, his legs crossed and his back facing Malik rather pointedly. Soft shuffling sounds could be heard as the boy rearranged the cards in his deck in his lap. But, even from where he was, Malik could see the other Egyptian tilting his head to look up at the night sky every once in awhile.

He sighed. "You know, if you were resting on your back, you wouldn't be craning your neck like that."

He received a quick and firm glare. "Some of us have too much on their minds and too little time to lay about and do nothing, thank you."

Malik couldn't help but grin in response. Namu had tried to get rid of him for most of the day so far, but, when the boy's attempts had failed, he had simply accepted the presence of the wild-haired Egyptian, the way one accepts the presence of a constant shadow. And, honestly, Malik couldn't be happier.

Maybe it was nothing more than his loneliness speaking, after so many centuries of being ignored, but by Ra did Malik like this boy. Anyone playing this hard to get had to be worth the chase, in his mind.

But, if Namu didn't want to talk right now, that was fine, too. It was a pleasant night, a warm breeze sweeping through the air beneath a sky full of stars. The full moon was risen overhead, illuminating the ground below, casting a multitude of shadows among the trees. It had been so, so very long since Malik had slept outside like this, and he was going to enjoy it.

He'd almost drifted off when the silence was broken, Namu's sudden voice breaking the reverie and surprising him.

"Why do you insist on staying with me?"

"It's only been a few hours..."

"But _why_?"

Opening his eyes again, Malik turned onto his side, even more surprised to see the other had turned to face him, his cards put away and his hands resting in his lap. "I think you're a very interesting kid, actually."

"And what is it about me that you find so interesting, exactly?" He furrowed his brows and stared at the other male intently.

Sitting up, Malik shrugged. "I think much of it is that you're a blonde Egyptian, like me. I don't know about now, but it was a very strange phenomenon when I was younger. People were often puzzled by my appearance and would spread rumors as to my birth."

The other boy looked confused. "There are blonde Egyptians. Their skin is usually paler than mine, but they do exist. There are plenty of them. There has been for a number of years."

"Hm. At any rate, your appearance is still pretty striking, you have to admit that. Sandy hair on dark skin. Doesn't hurt that your eyes are bright purple, either." He glanced toward the boy approvingly before turning back to the night sky. "You must have girls throwing themselves at you back home."

Namu had fallen silent, his head turning away violently. It was a wonder he didn't give himself whiplash.

What Malik couldn't see was the fierce blush that was quickly overtaking Namu's face.

 **GnJ**

Namu could feel the blush on his cheeks, but he refused to let Malik see. He was determined not to give the other male any form of advantage. After all, it wasn't as if an off-hand remark from a stranger meant anything, no matter how genuine it had sounded. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

And he needed to ditch this guy as soon as possible.

"Why are you in this tournament?"

Namu blinked in surprise, realizing that the other male was still talking to him. "What?"

"I mean, are you here because you enjoy the game? Or are you only here to get away from your family?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Namu's voice was hard. This man already knew too much for his tastes, and he didn't need to know any more than he already did.

Malik shrugged. "Just asking. Myself, I'm here to get out of the room my sister keeps me locked in. More like a prison than a bedroom, if you get my meaning."

He continued, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to Namu, even though the other male listened carefully. "My sister doesn't like it when she doesn't know where I am. She afraid of what I'll do, or who I'll hurt. Guess I don't blame her. But after being closed up and hid from the world for so long, even the sunlight coming through the window feels cold on your skin."

The male fell silent at that, irritating Namu slightly. To his own surprise, he wanted to hear Malik's story. So long as he was going to be around, why shouldn't Namu know about him?

"What did you do to earn such distrust?" Namu asked quietly. He truly couldn't be sure if he really wanted to know, but morbid curiosity compelled him to ask, to get the other male talking again.

To his surprise, Malik turned and gave him a twisted grin. "I fell in love."

 **GnJ**

Ryou opened her eyes, a nearby sound waking her from her sleep. It sounded almost like a footfall, but she couldn't be sure.

The young girl sat up, turning her head this way and that, allowing her inquisitive eyes to peer out into the surrounding darkness. The others were all still asleep. And now the night was still. Not a sound to be heard.

Moonlight fell down through the tree branches, illuminating the ground below. Standing to her feet, Ryou slipped out of the small tent they'd set up, silently breezing between Jounouchi and Honda and making her way out of their campground. The moon and the stars all shone brightly far above her head, casting their light out and filling the night sky.

It was beautiful. It wasn't a sight they ever got back in the bustling city of Domino. Back home, they could never see the stars through all the light pollution, despite the skylight in Yuugi's attic bedroom. But out here…

She breathed in deeply, content for the moment to just exist.

"You like the night, too, do you?"

Ryou turned in surprise at the English words, finding herself staring at a figure who stood in a nearby shadow. It was a male, with hair as white as her own and wild, fuschia eyes. He wore a gaudy piece of jewelry, similar to the pyramid that Atem wore around his neck, only this one was circular and there were five pendants hanging from it. Where Atem's reminded her of a pyramid turned upside-down, this one reminded her of an old, Western dream catcher.

"The sky is quite interesting, tonight," he continued, turning away from her to gesture at their surroundings. "There is darkness and there is light, balancing one another and preventing the other from dominating the landscape, and yet… They are not in battle. They coexist comfortably with one another."

She blinked, confused by the stranger's words. "You're oddly poetic."

"Am I?"

His eyes slowly traveled back to her, giving her a soft smile before approaching her. Despite all logic, she let him come closer. His aura intrigued her, giving off a purple-ish feeling, almost dark but not dangerous. Instead of giving Ryou her usual sense of 'stranger danger,' the man's presence felt comfortable, almost familiar, and it gave her a feeling of security that she couldn't understand.

"You're one of the group that Atem has joined, correct?"

Since the man was speaking in English, Ryou answered in English. She had been born and raised in England for the first few years of her life, and the language jump wasn't a huge one for her. "Yes. Do you know him?"

"Yes. We come from the same place and time."

"You make it sound like you're from another time period."

"You wouldn't be wrong in saying that," he chuckled. "Take care of him for me? Atem, I mean. Despite his uncomfortable past with my... former self, I suppose... I don't want him to come to any harm. But I don't think he wants anyone of the familiar to be breathing down his neck."

"He must be very important for you to care so much about him." The young girl found that her lips were being dragged into a smile. "Don't worry. My friends and I will take good care of him."

The stranger's eyes traveled back towards their camp. "I'm surprised you already trust him enough to let him sleep with you. Or is this customary where you're from?"

"He's already gained our trust." Besides, even if Atem turned out to be a problem, she knew she and the others could handle him. They were by no means unable to protect themselves against one young man. "I sense as much danger from him as I sense from you."

He looked at her with some confusion. "Are you a seer, then?"

"Not really. I just have this way of knowing when I shouldn't trust someone."

"It's a good ability to have."

They fell into comfortable silence for a few beats before the stranger spoke again, and Ryou was taken by surprise by the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Can I kiss you?"

"... Yes."

The stranger leaned closer, his eyes flickering between her own eyes and her lips, as if silently asking permission once again before closing the distance. His lips brushed against hers, pulling her mouth closer to him.

A shiver of pleasure shot through Ryou's body. She started to lean closer, searching for more contact, but the stranger pulled away before she could.

The white-haired male was backing away from her, a wide grin on his face as he vanished into the darkness of the night. He reminded her briefly of the Cheshire cat with that cocky grin of his. She watched him disappear, a whisper dropping from his lips and flying through the night air to meet her ears.

"Don't forget my face, my Khonsu… We may yet meet again."

After a few minutes of staring after him, Ryou turned around, a smile on her face as she headed back to camp.

"I hope we do."

 **GnJ**

"What do you mean 'you fell in love?'" Namu asked. He needed so much clarification right now.

"I fell in love with a man. A criminal, to be exact."

Well, that explained that.

"So you're homosexual, then?"

"Not really. I'm actually not at all picky between male, female, whatever." Malik brought himself into a sitting position, stretching an arm over his head. "I just like anyone who's attractive."

Pansexual, then, Namu guessed. He sat back, looking very seriously at his traveling partner. "So you had a crush on a criminal. What did you do about it?"

Malik hunched over, leaning forward on his knees. "I was a stupid kid. Isis calls me reckless. Guess she's right, because I went after him. Became his partner in crime. Did a lot of bad stuff to please him, even attacked those who were on the side of the law."

His frown deepened, and he fell silent briefly. Namu considered telling him to stop there, but the male continued before he could.

"He didn't care for me. After everything I had done for him, everything that I'd sacrificed to please him... He loved another."

Caught off guard, Namu found himself snorting, the sound coming out his nostrils. "Oh, you poor thing. You had a crush on a bad person and you were surprised when he did bad things and hurt you. How sad."

Malik fixed him with a glare. "He professed to love me and he took my virginity when I offered it. I thought I was important to him, but then he laughed and let his lover run roughshod over me. He made me kill my own father and laughed at everything I felt, whether it was affection or horror or pain."

He looked away suddenly, turning his back to Namu. "You're the one who asked."

Namu bit his lower lip, feeling something inside him sinking down to his feet. This other man – no, _boy_ – wasn't much older than he was. How could all this have happened to him in such a short period of time?

"You killed your own father?"

"I had to prove my loyalty to Dorōbo."

"... I'm sorry."

They both fell into silence again, an uncomfortable bristling existing in the air between them.

"Maybe you shouldn't traverse the island with me," Namu said quietly.

Malik's answer was even quieter. "Maybe you're right..."

* * *

 **Please review!  
**


	8. Chapter 7

**It took three months, but here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and please review. ^_^  
**

* * *

Chapter 7:

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

To Malik, the night had suddenly become colder, the still air seeming even darker than before, as though the stars were being snuffed out above him. He should leave. He hadn't thought before he spoke and, now that he'd thrown all of his laundry out into the air, it had become even more awkward than before. Namu didn't want him to stay.

But he didn't want to be alone. Not in the dead of the night. The darkness was not his friend, and it had never done anything but hurt him before. Dorōbo came to steal from the tombs under the cover of darkness, his lips dripping with false promises. Malik had sobbed and laughed uncontrollably over his father's body in the pitch blackness of night, knife clenched in hand, glittering with blood, while the voice of his supposed lover filled his ears. The dark of night was where Zorc lurked, watching, waiting –

"My father died last year."

The confession had come so suddenly, Malik almost wondered if he'd heard it at all. "... Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"... I'm sorry."

Namu frowned, his eyes angling off to the side. He licked his lips, as they had suddenly become dry, but it didn't seem to help. "He died from an infection. It... It was rough on us, my family and I. It still is. He wasn't even a very good father, but... his absence is painful."

His teeth began worrying on his lower lip, as if a distraction from his thoughts. "My mother died when I was a baby, so I never knew her. All my life I've just known my father, sister and brother. And after Father's death, my sister tried to fill in the void, sometimes I think more for her own sake than anyone else's. She keeps Father's spirit alive by keeping his strict rules intact, making them even more strict and rigid if I try to go against them. I can't even speak to her or express myself properly anymore."

He turned back to Malik, fuchsia eyes peering out from their frames of dark makeup to meet a pair of smokey grey ones. "To answer your question about why I'm in this tournament... I'm here to find my freedom. Freedom from the limits my sister keeps on me, and freedom from the ghosts that haunt my family. I'm fairly decent at the game and, after I learned all contestants would be taken to an island out in the Pacific Ocean, putting a great deal of distance between me and my home, entering the tournament seemed like a convenient way to escape. Additionally, winners are given cash rewards, and, if I were to win a high enough ranking, I could gain money of my own, to do what I want with."

'Freedom.' There was a concept Malik understood. "So, what you're saying is, we're both out here to escape our sister's watchful eyes?" He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "Seems we're more alike than I had assumed."

Namu grimaced. "Too much alike, if you ask me." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a migraine. "Listen, I know I said you should probably travel the island by yourself and I meant it, but... I don't mind if you stay close by. Just for tonight though.

"Not that I trust you or anything, but it's not like I'm going to be sleeping anyway," he muttered on afterthought.

Malik stared at the boy in wonder, his eyes widening considerably. In the few hours he'd known him, he'd seen first hand just how stubborn Namu was, and only just minutes ago the boy had admitted to feeling unsafe in his presence. Why the sudden compromise?

The moon overhead had moved and the shadows were being cast on the ground in different directions, and, to Malik's enlightenment, he saw how the boy shifted ever so slightly, moving his body out of the shadows and back into the light, a mannerism that Malik had often acted in when staying overnight in an unfamiliar place. It was an action born from his fear of the dark, and it caused him to gravitate towards any area bathed in light, whether it was a small camp fire or pools of moonlight.

It seemed that Malik wasn't the only one in the clearing with nightly fears.

GnJ

The sun wasn't even up yet when Yuugi's eyes cracked open the next morning. Since her body was still accustomed to Japan's time zone and there was about six hours of difference between her home's time and the time on this island, combined with her tournament nerves, her sleeping pattern was going to suffer terribly over the next few days. Judging from the dark sky above, it was off to a less-than-terrific start.

But, even if it was the middle of the night, she was still wide awake and anxious to get her first duel out of the way. And she was hungry.

"Good morning." It was Ryou's voice that cut into her thoughts.

"Good morning," she whispered on impulse as she sat up, her eyes landing on her sister beside her. Ryou lay in her sleeping bag with her arms crossed under her head, eyes wide open and gazing up at the top of their makeshift tent. "Did I wake you up?"

"No. I never really went to sleep."

"Nervous?"

Ryou only smiled, the fierce spark in her eye betraying her sweet, quiet demeanor. "Not in the least."

A light groan to their left let them know that Anzu was waking up. Or, more specifically, she was turning over and burrowing her face in her sleeping bag, mumbling in their general direction to "shut up" and "let her sleeeep..."

"But, Anzu-!" Yuugi's fighting spirit refused to be silenced. Even if it was still dark out and the sun wouldn't be up for hours. "Dueling!"

"Yuugi, I love you with all my breath and soul, but if you don't let me sleep..." Groggy brown eyes glared out from beneath the pillow cave. "I may just have to rethink our relationship."

This only brought a laugh from the small girl; she'd known Anzu for years and was used to how she could get in the mornings.

"Alright then," she said as she turned to her stepsister, exchanging the amused smiles that only morning people have. "C'mon, Ry! Let's go get a head start on our opponents! And breakfast too, maybe!"

"Right behind you!"

GnJ

Jou and Honda didn't even wake up when the two girls slipped past them, and their new friend only slightly stirred. So, only the two of them, Yuugi and Ryou set out alone to troll the island for opponents. And it seemed like they weren't the only ones awake at this ungodly hour – they'd only been walking along the path for about ten minutes before finding a duel that was wrapping up.

Yuugi stared intently at the boy who was clearly the duel's victor. He looked to be about her own age, and he looked almost Japanese; clearly though, one of his parents was Korean. His long, black hair was tied back on his head, the tie loose enough that several locks still fell forward and framed his face. And the thing that stuck out about him, from this distance, was that he wore a single earring shaped like game dice.

The other thing that struck her about the boy, aside from how devastatingly _pretty_ he was, was how he didn't look very pleased for someone who'd just won a duel.

Realizing that he had an audience, the boy turned and grinned widely, greeting them in the first language they shared. "Hello, ladies! Sorry, if you've come to cheer me on, you're too late. As you can see-" He held his hand out, where a starchip was deposited by his dejected opponent. "I've already won!"

"Oh great, he thinks he's a ladies' man," Ryou muttered.

Ignoring her sister, Yuugi responded to the pretty boy. "Um, we're not here to cheer, we're here to duel." She held her competing wrist cuff high.

"Yeah, I figured as much," the boy answered. "Just give me a few minutes to stretch my legs out first-" He flashed her a look, one that promised nothing short of a fierce battle. "-and then I'll beat you."

A thrill of excitement went up Yuugi's spine, despite herself.

"You didn't exactly look like you were enjoying your win a minute ago," she commented as she watched him stretch his body on the ground. His shirt rode up a bit, and it was all she could do to force her gaze back to his face.

"I don't actually enjoy playing this game. I prefer designing games to playing them, honestly." The boy answered, rolling his eyes. The sudden action caused Yuugi to take notice of them, noting the oddly large, green irises. She couldn't see a pupil, though, and his eyes didn't seem to reflect any light. As if they were clouded on the surface, almost. It made her think of Ryou's colored contacts, but not quite.

He turned back to look at her then, interrupting her train of thought. "I'm actually only here because my father made me come. He wants me to win and get in good with Pegasus, maybe get an endorsement from the guy. My own interests take the backseat when money is involved, of course... and revenge."

The last words were spoken so low, Yuugi almost wondered if she'd even heard them.

"'Revenge?'" She heard Ryou's question loud and clear though.

"I don't know. The old man's crazy! Something about some guy cursed him years ago or something, back before I was ever born, and for some reason my father thinks this guy's grandkid is in this tournament or something. I don't even know why, honestly." He sighed with no small amount of frustration. "I just know things will get very bad for me if I somehow find this person and don't defeat them in a duel or whatever."

He straightened up after a minute, flashing that smile of his again. "And hey, I haven't even introduced myself to you yet! Name's Ryuji," he told her, closing one eye slowly, winking at her in a flirtatious fashion. "Otogi Ryuji."

Ignoring Ryou's eye roll and fighting off her blush, Yuugi flashed him a glowing smile. "I'm Mutou Yuugi."

His face dropped like a rock. It was surprising he didn't get some sort of whiplash in his facial muscles. "Mutou...? Are you... Mutou Sugoroku... do you-?!"

"My grandfather?" Yuugi stared at Otogi quizzically, wondering what the problem was.

He swallowed. "Yuugi... Mutou-san... forgive me, but I... I'll have to defeat you! Or die trying!"

She fell back, startled by his sudden outburst. "What?!"

"My father played a game with a man named Mutou Sugoroku years ago, your grandfather, and a curse was cast upon his soul when he lost. If you are Mutou's granddaughter, then you're the one my father wants me to defeat."

To Yuugi's horror, the boy's face seemed to morph, taking on the form of a disturbed leer, almost like a twisted clown face. As if he were possessed by another entity.

"Duel me, Mutou Yuugi! That's what you came for anyway, isn't it?"

Glancing helplessly at Ryou and only receiving a shrug in response, Yuugi soon found herself standing on one side of the dueling arena, Otogi leering at her from the other side. "If that's what you wish, Otogi. Let's duel!"

GnJ

Namu had fallen asleep sometime during the night, his form fallen sideways onto the ground, where it stayed until Malik woke up that morning. Remembering Namu's words from only hours ago, Malik decided to leave the boy alone as he wished.

He wasn't sure what it was about the boy that compelled him to care so much. Perhaps it was the sense of familiarity. They shared more than a few similar physical features, it seemed – they held the same basic desires and fears. Something about Namu resonated deeply in Malik's very core, more than anyone else had in years, and he had immediately grasped at it, holding onto it desperately. And _that_ , it seemed, was his undoing.

He should never have gone outside the castle. He should have stayed under the concerned gaze of his sister, who had a knack of saving him from himself. Frowning to himself, he stood up with the intention to leave.

The sound of a twig snapping and hurried footfalls behind him brought his movements to halt, spinning around on his heels as his hand went to his belt holster, pulling the Rod from its holding strap and brandishing it out in front of him in a fluid motion. "Who goes there?"

Two men wearing long cloaks and masks over their faces slowly drew into view. They didn't seem as put off by the sharp object being pointed in their direction, but whether that was from genuine courage or stupidity Malik couldn't be sure.

"We are the pair Lumbis and Umbris," the shorter of the two answered. "And we're here to challenge you!"

From the looks of their bracelets, they'd been a couple of 'busy little beavers' (as Pegasus said) already – they each had three star chips connected to their wrist cuffs.

Malik paused briefly, bursting into laughter an instant later. "Yes, well, isn't it too bad that two-against-one dueling is against the rules? Pity. I would have enjoyed defeating the two of you."

"Really?" The taller one snickered as he spoke, the nasally sound making Malik inwardly cringe. "Too bad indeed. Maybe you should wake up your little friend back there."

Before Malik could argue – because he really didn't want to wake the boy who slumbered peacefully behind him – fate intervened. Or, more accurately, _Namu_ intervened.

"I'm not even asleep," he muttered in Arabic from his position on the ground. When turning to look at him, Malik noticed that, though his eyes were still closed, there was a deep scowl on his face. "What made you think I could sleep through all your ungodly cackling?"

"Oh good, he's awake." Umbris took a step forward, ignoring the look of angry discomfort Malik shot him. "What do you boys say? Care for a little _friendly_ competition?"

"Assuming that one speaks English," Lumbis muttered, laughing under his breath.

To Malik's surprise, Namu had seemingly transported to his side, glaring at the masked newcomers with enough anger to send chills down anyone's spine.

A leering smile grew across Namu's face. "Well, Malik? What do you think? Shall we destroy these two fools?"

Well. This entire turn of events was... unexpected, to say the least.

Something told Malik that this duel was going to be anything but friendly.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Malik is an interesting writing experience. Basically, he's Yami Marik if Yami Marik had been a human with a life of his own. Malik still possesses qualities of his canon counterpart, but he's reached a stage in life where he's working past his inner demons. (And yet, he's still easier to write than any of these minor villains.)**

 **Something that I don't think was approached in canon, or at least not in the anime, is that Pegasus' island is presumably a few time zones away from Domino, so naturally the kids and the other contestants would seem to be waking and sleeping at a lot of odd times. For the sake of this story, Pegasus' island is probably off the Northwest coast of North America, near Oregon, Washington, or Canada. That's just my guess based on how Yugi and the others can travel to the island by boat within a couple of days and based on the landscape of the island (with cliffsides and deciduous trees).**

 **For some reason, the first time I watched YGO and saw Otogi appear on the screen, I thought he looked Korean. I later adopted the personal headcannon of him being half-Korean, presumably on his mother's side.**

 **The kid has no pupils. Have you seen him on the anime? He just has no pupils. His eyes also don't reflect light. Is this a side effect of his father's curse or is he just wearing oddly thick colored contacts all the time? Who knows.**

 **... Why are these guys named Lumbis and Umbris? What kind of names even are those?**

 **Someone had to say "fools" sooner or later and I, for one, am happy it was Namu.**


	9. Chapter 8

**[9/21/2016] This chapter is going to be a bit longer than they've been so far, but a lot of important things happen. The main villain is introduced, we bid farewell to Otogi (for now), and mizushipping happens! Please enjoy and review. ^_^  
**

* * *

Chapter 8:

While Atem had taken the Puzzle with him, and Malik the Rod and Bekhura the Ring, four more Items remained in their housing compartments in Mahad's room. And of those four, one of them was waking from its slumber. A darkness encircled the Eye, awakening the spirits housed within.

In a flash of godly power and light, the form of a man appeared, escaping from his tomb inside the Eye. A long robe with a hood obscured his face from view, as though he were hiding from the light itself. Wrapping his fingers around the Eye, he took it into his hand, picking up the powerful Item and holding it near.

"Imprisoning me inside a Sennon Item, hm? Well played, Pharaoh." The robed figure laughed darkly. His voice seemed to be layered over by another, as the lesser god possessing his body spoke through him and over him at once. "I almost can't believe you would use the dark magic of Zork, my own brother, against me in such a way!"

The man straightened up, glancing around the room with a manic grin on his face. His form began to change, adapting to his true form. A blank, white face with no features save for his golden Eye and the long, stringy red hair that grew from out of his head. His robe was covered and hidden from view by pieces of armor, the metal glinting with darkness.

"Now then... Let's find my beloved son, shall we?"

GnJ

"Wake up, you useless bums!" A voice cut through Atem's sleep, forcing the son of Ra to reattend the world of the living. After the initial outbreak of English, the strange voice changed its tongue to one that made no sense to him; the English itself took some time to process this early in his day.

Opening his eyes, the former pharaoh realized that he seemed to be outside on the castle grounds instead of in his comfortable bed. Why was that...? Oh, right, because his sister and her mentor thought it would be good for him to join Pegasus's tournament. And he'd met those teenagers …

Ah. The yelling was coming from Anzu. That made more sense than his floating voice assumption.

Atem brought himself into a sitting position, stretching his arms up over his head, watching Anzu yell at Jounouchi and Honda as they woke up. He couldn't tell what she was saying, but she was definitely not happy. He turned to ask Yuugi or Ryou what had upset their friend, only to realize their absence.

"Where are Yuugi and Ryou?" He asked aloud. It didn't get anyone's attention, much less any answers. Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu continued arguing loudly with one another, seemingly blame each other for the absence of their friends.

The former ruler sighed and rolled his eyes before placing his fingers on the Puzzle hanging from his neck; while finding things and people was definitely more along the lines of the Ring's expertise, the Puzzle could also help him in a pinch. It took mere seconds for the Puzzle to start glowing, its magic drawing Atem's mind to a particular location.

Like a man in a trance, he got to his feet and began walking, allowing the Puzzle to take him where it would, knowing that it wouldn't take long for the three teenagers to follow him. Sure enough, he could hear them coming up behind him within mere moments, their anxious voices speaking in a cacophony.

"What are you doing?" Honda asked. His question was the first sensible thing Atem had heard yet this morning.

He gestured to the glowing Item in his hands. "This Puzzle is a very special Item. I can use it to locate where a person might be, if I can envision them in my head." And it wasn't very hard to envision Yuugi – she bore a striking similarity to him, after all.

And then the questions _really_ began. Phrases like "but what _is_ it?" and "how does it work" were soon being directed at the former ruler, and then best he could do for now was brush them off. It was rude, he knew, but he didn't really have the time or language capability to explain how his people had once harnessed the dark magic of another realm. That was a complicated discussion that could be saved for another place and time.

As powerful as the Puzzle was, finding objects or people really wasn't one of its strong points. Even so, it managed to get the group close enough to where Yuugi and Ryou were that it didn't take long to find the girls themselves. Ryou stood proud and straight, a wide smile gracing her face as she watched a duel enfold in an arena, calling out words of encouragement for her sister. Yuugi stood behind one of the arena podiums, her focused eyes trained in locked combat with her silky-haired opponent.

Ryou turned to wave quietly at the others as they stepped closer, her face excited despite the dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked like a person who hadn't slept, or at least not very well.

"Hey, everyone. Nice to see you're all awake now."

"What were you two thinking?!" Anzu demanded without missing a beat. "You shouldn't be wandering off on your own! Who knows what sort of perverts and other weirdos are out here?!"

Feeling put out by the implications that his friend's island may be unsafe, Atem felt the need to interject. "Actually, Pegasus has plenty of well-trained security guards roaming the island, and they have been instructed to take every precaution-"

"No one asked you."

"We're alright, Anzu," Ryou spoke up again. "Yuugi was just really excited to duel someone other than that worm, Weevil."

This brought a small snorting sound from Jounouchi, who had been eyeballing Yuugi's opponent for some time. "Well, guess we can't hold that against her. But who's this creep?"

"That's Otogi. Seems his family has some bad history with Yuugi's family."

Atem turned to look at the boy briefly. Long, silky, black hair pulled upwards into a whip, his long bangs left loose to frame his dark face. Oddly green eyes shone out from beneath this black frame, and soft lips were pulled back into a focused scowl. He wore an odd amount of makeup for a boy of this day and age, rimming his eyes with mascara and having a long teardrop drawn down his cheek. A game die hung from one pierced ear, hanging nearly down to his shoulder. A wiry, slightly muscled body showed from beneath expensive, fashionable clothes. Judging from the looks of him, Atem guessed that Otogi was the kind of guy who was popular with girls.

The two had clearly been going at it for awhile now, and they seemed to be pretty evenly matched. Even Atem, known as the King of Games in his time, had to admit he was very impressed by their dueling. Both were skilled strategists and knew how to utilize even the weaknesses of their monsters, turning them into strengths. But, despite how close they were, one of them was bound to fall eventually.

And, eventually, it was Otogi who fell, his Life Points plummeting down the long drop to 'zero.'

At first, judging from the scowl on the boy's face, Atem didn't think Otogi would concede defeat so easily. Something about his face looked like a caged animal that had doomed to an arena, and had just lost another possible way of escape. But, even so, the boy stepped down from his podium with some grace, begrudgingly removing a star chip and holding it out for Yuugi to take.

"This is yours, Mutou. You earned it." The boy's face was unmoving, as though a mask had been carefully slid into place over his features. He turned away, making as if to leave abruptly, but Yuugi caught his arm, holding him in place.

GnJ

Yuugi simply reacted, grabbing hold of Otogi before he could leave. She could feel him tense up, clearly wanting to get away from here, away from _her_ , but he didn't struggle against her grip.

"This duel... It was important to you, wasn't it? What will you tell your father?"

He didn't answer her at first, choosing instead to stare off into the horizon, his eyes roaming absently over that faraway line where the ocean met the sky. The island they were on gave them an interesting vantage point of the world, and it was so much easier to think about that vantage point then an answer, it seemed.

Eventually, his lips moved again. "... I don't know."

"Will he be angry?"

"Very." A visible shudder traveled up the boy's body, a haunted look coming over his face. Turning back to Yuugi, he flashed her a wry smile. It was as though a mask had slid into place, hiding his true self from the world again. "But that's not something for you to worry about. It's not your life, is it, Mutou?"

Something in his voice told her that he didn't want to talk to her anymore. It worried her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly as she climbed down from the stand, walking over to where her friends were standing. She smiled a bit when she saw that Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, and Atem had come to watch as well.

Even as she turned to walk away with her friends, listening to Anzu's warnings about why she and Ryou shouldn't have gone wandering off on their own, and allowing Jounouchi to see her new star chip, Yuugi glanced back over her shoulder to where Otogi was still standing.

The dark look in his eyes made her blood run cold, as did the whisper that escaped his lips, a promise so thin it barely reached her ears.

"Not as sorry as you _will_ be..."

GnJ

Back in Pegasus's castle, an unwanted guest was preparing to announce his presence.

The dark god skulked around the castle, wondering where he was exactly. It was clear to see that this wasn't the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh, but where exactly was he? … _When_ exactly was he?

He approached a window, taken aback momentarily by the structure of it. Finally figuring out how to open it, he peered out into the distance, his eyes taking in the view of what had to have been a larger body of water than the Mediterranean Sea. There was nothing but water as far out as he could see, and his nostrils were suddenly filled with a salty scent.

"That must be the ocean I've heard stories about." It made some logical sense, but also seemed unreal. "Where have you brought us, Pharaoh?"

Turning back, he continued through the long hallways of the building, his attention torn between finding his son and studying his new surroundings. Paintings adorned the walls here and there, seemingly displaying a woman of some importance yet depicting her in a shockingly realistic form, her front-facing eyes bright and glittering, as though she were watching from beyond the painting. Perhaps she was a local queen or goddess – her intricate gown and her long, flowing hair seemed regal enough. (1)

"Ah-HAH!"

The dark god turned around on his heels, grinning to himself upon seeing the source of the outcry. It was Priest Set, once the youngest member of the Pharaoh's court, who stood behind him, glaring with pure hatred at the unwanted visitor. Kisara stood behind the priest, her pale curtain of hair doing little to hide the frown on her own face.

"We thought we felt your presence, Shadow Magus." The little street urchin told him, her trembling voice filled with defiance. "We had hoped we were wrong."

"How did you escape your prison?!" Set demanded, holding a sharp knife up and pointing the tip towards the dark entity. His other hand rested at his hip, as though to draw another weapon if necessary, but beneath his fingers there only seemed to be small, rectangular slips of parchment, decorated with vibrant colors. (2)

Shadow Magus couldn't help but laugh at that question. "Really, son? Did you really think that your stupid little cousin had enough power to contain me?!"

Suddenly, that knife was a lot closer, the blade almost touching his throat.

Set growled lowly, sounding nearly like that dragon girl he kept as a pet. The younger priest had crossed the room quickly, almost taking Shadow Magus by surprise. "You will not disrespect the Pharaoh, monster! Not so long as I still breathe!"

He lowered his voice, exhuming pure hatred with every breath. "And you are _not_ my father."

"Oh, but I am! I think I wear his body rather well, actually." Even though his featureless face didn't change, his voice altered, almost sounding as though he was leering. "Wouldn't you agree, my dear Set?"

Set's knife flew through the air, coming close to slicing through the dark god's face. But, Set was only a mere mortal. Despite his powers, he was nothing more than a human. And, after all, what is a human next to god? Shadow Magus caught the young man's wrist in his own hand with ease, preventing any harm from coming to this body he wore.

It would be so easy to crush this bug right here and now. But, as much as he would like to, the demigod wanted no harm to come to his ungrateful child.

"Did you really believe you would be able to harm me, boy?" He laughed. "A human, attacking a god? What is man to a god?"

To his surprise... Set began to laugh.

"'Harm you?' Of course not. I know my limitations." He leered up at the dark entity holding him in place. "I merely wanted to distract you from my partner, just for an instant!"

"You are nothing more than a demigod, Shadow Magus!" Kisara's voice rang out behind Shadow Magus. He had no time to turn around before a large weight hit him with its full force, sending him hurling across the room. His hold on Set broke, and he could see the young priest leering at him as he hit the floor, the air of his lungs leaving his body.

Kisara had changed, teeth bared as her dragon form stood above him, talons moving to pin him where he lay. "And what is a demigod to a full-fledged deity?"

GnJ

"You look surprised, Shadow Magus," Set remarked, leaning around the side of the White Dragon's great claws. The blank area that was Shadow Magus's face was impossible to read just by appearances, but, given how quiet the demigod had become, he was willing to guess the reason.

Moving to retrieve his switchblade from where it had fallen, the high priest laughed. "Do you remember? Do you see it, buried back in your memories, or hidden in the memories of my father, deep in your mind? You killed Kisara once, thinking she was nothing but a lowly urchin, a disposable slave that would be missed by none."

Set straightened up, turning back to where his wife had the Shadow Magus pinned down. "But, as fate would have it, the gods had a better idea. They gave her immortality and strength, power enough to make the Blue Eyes White Dragon Kisara equal to the Sky Dragon Osiris, the Great Sun Dragon Ra, and the World Breaker Obelisk. The one you viewed as a pitiful slave has become a god in her own right, Magus!"

The Shadow Magus turned to the priest, staring at him with an indiscernible face, his tone of voice sounding almost intrigued. "And yet you would keep her as a guard dog, even though she is a god?"

"No, Magus. I do not keep dragons or women as pets. Kisara is my wife, and I her husband. That is the nature of our relationship."

And, as Set knew it would, his words set the Shadow Magus alight. With a loud roar, the monster threw Kisara off his body, rising to stand before the two of them, his hands curling into fists and his body shaking with untold rage.

Kisara moved to stand beside Set, growling and snapping her mighty jaws. Her wings spread across the room as she coiled, prepared to strike when needed. A couch was pushed aside by her tail, her wings accidentally knocking down curtains and a wall-mounted television.

Vaguely, Set wondered what Pegasus or his serving staff would say about the damage they were causing.

"You!" Shadow Magus's voice rang out, creating an otherworldly echo throughout the halls of the castle. "You, who were high priest earlier than any other! You, who are next in line for the royal throne! You, who could have anything you desired and are the only creature on this filthy planet of any worth! You would stoop so low as to marry a miserable _slave_?!"

"She's a slave no longer, Magus, but a god whose powers exceed your own."

"Exceed the power of Anubis?!" (3)

There was silence in the room for a moment. Set and Kisara stood perfectly still, their eyes trained on Shadow Magus. Shadow Magus, in turn, glared at each of them, his eye shifting slightly back and forth between them.

Set had to think fast. Surely the others had heard that last proclamation and were on their way, now. But, while he knew that he, Kisara, Mahad, Mahna, Isis, Karim, and Shadah were a formidable force, he worried about how powerful they would be without Atem, Malik, and Bekhura with them. Especially Atem and Bekhura, who had been the ones to seal the Magus centuries before.

Perhaps it was the lack of their presence that had allowed for the Magus's release. Without the powers of the gods and Zork close by, could it be that the power of Anubis alone could break its own sealing?

Shadow Magus moved suddenly, waving his hand as he crossed the room before Set could stop him.

"Where do you think you are going, Magus?!" He took a step forward, terrified when he found himself slamming into the air in front of him, his body falling to the floor and spasming in pain. A wall of nothing. The Shadow Magus had created a wall of nothing, preventing any attempts to follow him. Even summoning his monsters would do no good to Set, now.

Glancing to his partner, Set could see that even Kisara's mighty claws did nothing against the magical force. In frustration, she slammed herself against the barrier, crying out in pain as she hit it, crumpling to the floor. The building shook beneath the force.

"Kisara!" The young priest turned back to where Shadow Magus stood near the open window, glaring at him. "Answer me, Magus! Where are you going?!"

"... That petulant nephew of mine doesn't belong on the throne," came a quiet voice. Set shuddered when he heard the words, hearing both his father and Anubis at the same time. "That throne belongs to you, and no one else! No, that boy is deserving of nothing more than a coffin, and the only place he belongs is in the ground, along with anyone who stands beside him!"

Set's blood ran cold. "What are you saying?"

Shadow Magus didn't answer. He vanished, seemingly into thin air. The window slammed shut just as the rest of the royal court arrived on the scene.

Set noticed out of the corner of his eye that Isis, Karim, and Shadah had all retrieved their Items from Mahad's room. But even the sight of the Necklace, Key, and Scales did nothing to quell the deep fear that filled his heart.

He had to find and protect Atem, whatever it took.

* * *

 **(1) Pegasus's love, Cecilia.**

 **(2) Set is carrying Duel Monsters cards because he knows how to summon the actual monster itself. He's literally carrying an army of obedient monsters around with him. (Don't you wish you could do that, some days?)**

 **(3) For the purpose of this story, Shadow Magus is Priest Aknadin being possessed by Anubis, the villain from the 'Pyramid of Light' movie, instead of Zork. Zork is a little busy helping to create Bekhura, and I didn't really want to just straight up make Aknadin the solo villain.**


	10. Chapter 9

**[1/13/2017] Sorry this took so long. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story of mine! :-D  
**

 **Haha, I can't sleep so I finished editing this and just decided to publish it now.**

 **Author's notes at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 9:

Namu's laughter sounded oddly dark, considering how peaceful the boy seemed.

Malik only rolled his eyes and turned back to the metal cuff on his wrist, sliding a star chip into place with a 'click.' They'd just spent the past four hours dueling Lumis and Umbris, with the final victory landing in his and Namu's favor.

And Namu... well, Namu was an entirely different person when he dueled. He was cold and calculating, often punctuating his turns by taunting his opponent. He laughed an eerily dark laugh, as though to tell the whole world how sure he was of his win and how glad he was to hammer his opponent into the ground. And he had been nothing but friendly and cooperative toward Malik, thoroughly confusing the other male.

Dueling alongside Namu was nothing short of a thrilling experience. Malik couldn't remember the last time he felt his blood move so energetically through his veins.

"So...?" Malik began, eyeing the other boy with a level of uneasy excitement. "Where to now?"

Namu turned back to him, looking confused, as though he'd already forgotten about him. "Oh. You're still here."

"Well, you weren't exactly chasing me away when there was a duel at hand!"

Namu shrugged noncommittally. "I needed a partner. You were there and willing. You were convenient." His cold voice made Malik shudder. Whether from excitement or fear, he couldn't be sure.

It reminded him of a voice he'd heard in his dreams every night since awakening from that tomb.

It took Malik a moment to find his voice to speak again. "Well, now that I'm no longer convenient, I guess I should be going then. No point in staying where I'm not wanted, I mean..."

His feet were moving. Taking steps. Moving backwards. Away from this handsome boy with vibrant, purple eyes and sandy blonde hair. Away from that voice, the shadows, the darkness come to consume him, flames were licking at his blood-stained clothes—

"—ight?"

He froze, blinking in the direction of the voice. His blurred vision cleared, and he was surprised to see Namu gazing at him, the other boy's face suddenly full of concern. "... I... What?"

"I asked if you were alright. Seems like the answer is a pretty definite 'no,' though."

Malik wanted to argue. Wanted to say that he was fine, and that he had to be leaving now. Wanted to will himself to march right back to the castle in the center of the island and beg forgiveness from his sister.

But he just couldn't bring himself to. So, he simply stood there, watching Namu to see what the other boy would do.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get a proper response, Namu rolled his eyes before turning to stare off in a certain direction. "Well, I can see the public restrooms from here, and I have some food in my backpack. I don't know about you, but I need some breakfast and a shower." He cast Malik a sideways glance. "You're welcome to join me, if you like."

Malik tilted an eyebrow, puzzled. "I can get my own food. You don't have to feed me or anything."

"Think of it as a proper 'thank you' for handling Keith for me, yesterday. We're still not even from that."

Ra, but this boy was fickle! But, it wasn't every day Malik got to spend time with such an interesting boy. And he could always beg forgiveness later. Isis would understand. Probably.

"Alright," Malik answered with a grin. "Then lead the way!"

GnJ

It had been nearly twelve hours since his run-in with that weirdo who only spoke a dead language, but Seto Kaiba was still very ticked. Usually Yuugi was the only person who could make him this frustrated and bothered, but now there was a second duelist whose face was burned into Seto's mind out of hatred.

Of course, up until meeting that weirdo, Yuugi had been the only other person to defeat him in a duel. And, now that he'd been beaten by two different people, that meant he had two different people to utterly destroy.

"Don't worry, big brother," Mokuba's voice interrupted his inner rant. "It's not that big an island. You'll get your chance with Yuugi and that other Yuugi sooner or later... "

The preteen grinned cruelly as he finished his thought. "... And then you'll finish her off for good, along with her new friend."

He and Mokuba must have a shared mind, Seto reflected.

"You know something, little brother? You're right, for once." He threw his head back, barking out a sharp laugh. "Come on, Mokuba. I need to find a loser to blow off steam on."

Nodding, the younger boy fell into step behind his brother, walking three times as fast to keep up with the much taller one.

If either of the two revenge-driven brothers had paused to look behind them, they would have noticed a man with long red hair and a face obscured by a golden mask, watching them, his one eye glinting. But their eyes were trained in front, searching for potential victims to humiliate, and anything happening behind them did nothing to earn their attention.

It took longer than expected for Seto to find someone he deemed an appropriate opponent, considering he was on an island crawling with duelists who were more than eager to show off their individual skill sets. Not just anyone would do for Seto Kaiba, though, so he kept looking, ignoring any and all challenges offered to him as he passed through clusters of players.

That is, until he came across someone who managed to catch and hold his attention, pink hair shimmering in the sunlight.

Mokuba noticed the look on his brother's face, eyes following his brother's gaze to see what had piqued his interest. "Hey, isn't that what's-his-name? That moron from Austria or wherever?"

"Schroeder, Germany." But what was _he_ doing here? Since when did _he_ play Duel Monsters, or any other game, for that matter?

Seto shrugged; that didn't matter, in the long run. What mattered was that _he_ was here, someone whose intellect rivaled his own. Straightening up to his full-height, Seto chose to address the pink-haired boy he'd been watching. "Siegfried!"

The pink-haired boy turned to look at him, sharp eyes glinting, lips curling up into a sneer to match Kaiba's. The boy then turned on his heels, vanishing into the island trees.

Growling, Seto took off after him, forgetting all about the prospect of dueling in his desire to catch and throttle the living snot of the German boy. That was just the affect Siegfried von Schroeder had on him – his infuriating business rival made him forget everything.

Even his brother.

Taken by surprise when Seto suddenly broke into a run and vanished in the trees, Mokuba could only stare, crying out in alarm. "Hey, wait for me!"

But, by that point, it was too late to follow him. Considering their difference in heights, Mokuba knew he'd never be able to keep up with Seto running. It would be better to just wait for him to return later.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and growled, slumping down under a tree. At least he had his handheld gaming device to amuse himself with. "Stupid Seto. He'd better come back for me this time, or I'll be really mad."

To his surprise, somebody answered him, the voice strange and deep and echoing itself. It sounded as if two different men were speaking at the same time. Confused, Mokuba looked up, quickly finding himself facing a golden mask with one eye. "What—Who the hell are you supposed to be?!"

The figure didn't say anything, but his eye gleamed as he reached out a gnarly hand, fingers suddenly curling around Mokuba's face, preventing him from screaming. Struggling in his grip, Mokuba's eyes widened when he saw the strange figure pull out what seemed to be a necklace of some sort. The pendent was a perfect pyramid, shaped from blue crystal. It glowed warmly, almost invitingly, as though drawing him into its embrace...

Why stay in his body... why stay alive at all?... when those pretty whispers were calling out to him from within the crystal pyramid?

The boy's body became slack, collapsing onto its side. Empty, glassy eyes stared up from the boy's face, devoid of any life signs.

The area was soon filled with Shadow Magus's rasping laughter.

GnJ

"I can't believe you don't eat meat," Malik grumbled, staring in distaste at the plastic bag of dried carrot sticks. "Why would you subject yourself to this plant rubbish when you could be eating juicy, fresh duck?"

Namu barely looked up from the granola bar he was currently chewing on. "I dislike the slaughter of animals. Besides, meat doesn't preserve well for spending a week in a tournament like this."

"Meat keeps perfectly fine if it's salted enough."

Malik only grinned as his (apparently vegan) friend looked away and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Closing up the remains of his granola, Namu gestured to a row of the small community showers. The showers, along with temporary restrooms, had been set up here and there around the island for the convenience of the tournament competitors – and to keep any teenagers from urinating on any of Pegasus's plants instead. "I'm going to shower. Watch my backpack for me? I mean, so long as you're following me, you might as well be useful."

The more time Malik spent around Namu, the more he was honestly reminded of Isis. "Who are you to order me around? My sister?"

The other boy didn't reply, only frowning and throwing the pack at Malik's face. "Keep hold of it. I don't want anyone else helping themselves to my food."

"Believe me, no one is going to steal your precious lettuce and celery sticks."

"Shut up. I'll be back in a half hour." His eyes narrowed dangerously, the black makeup lining them shifting into angles sharp enough to look painful. "And if I get back and my bag isn't here, I will personally cut your throat out and hang you from the nearest tree by your entrails."

Malik batted his eyelashes playfully. "Aw, Namu! You say the sweetest things!"

"By the prophet, _would you just shut up_!"

And with that final outburst, Namu turned and walked away, moving just a bit faster than usual. Malik, left literally holding the bag, wondered what he could have done to shake the boy up so much.

With nothing else to really do, Malik just shrugged to himself, sinking back down into a seated position on the ground. The grass beneath him and the breeze in his hair felt achingly good, and for the umpteenth time in his life he lifted a silent prayer to Ra, thanking him for the warmth and the sunlight he casted down to the people of Earth.

And yet, despite being surrounded by the beauty of nature, Malik couldn't help but feel unsettled. And for once it wasn't because of something he or Bekhura had done – at least, as far as he knew. It was something else, something unbalanced... Setting Namu's bag down beside him, he drew the Rod out from his belt, fingering the powerful Item as he closed his eyes, trying very hard to sense what that strange feeling was.

"Malik!"

Malik's eyes snapped open, surprised to hear an all too familiar voice calling his name. "... Bekhura?"

The dark godling stood in front of him, looking as if he'd been there for ages, despite the fact that he was definitely not there two seconds ago. His sharp eyes glimmered strangely, and he was chewing nervously on one of his jagged, black fingernails. "The door of darkness has been opened."

"... What?"

Ignoring Malik's very clever remark, Bekhura continued, the nail biting halting in favor of rapid speech. "I've been feeling it for the past several minutes. Someone or something has escaped the realm of darkness and come into this world, and they're definitely not supposed to be here!"

"Is _that_ what I'm feeling?" Malik looked down at the Ring where it hung around Bekhura's neck. The five spikes coming off the Ring were shifting around slightly, as though it were searching for the source of the disturbance. It wasn't a surprise that Bekhura would have a better idea of what was going on if it involved dark magic – he was part dark god, after all, and who better to sense dark energies than one who used them all the time?

Malik's feelings were rather mixed towards Bekhura. On the one hand, they were allies, and they weren't on unfriendly terms with each other. On the other hand, it was hard to avoid associating Bekhura with the thief and Zork, and Malik would never forget or forgive what they had done to him. But, unlike either of them Bekhura was at least useful from time to time.

Malik frowned. "Have you seen Atem recently? Does he know?"

"Weeelll, yes and no. I saw him last night and I know where he is, but I don't know if he's aware of this yet." Bekhura's eyes trailed down to the bag resting at Malik's knee, one of his eyebrows lifting up. "Whose bag is that, anyway? Did you steal it off of some kid or something?"

A low growl escaped Malik's throat. "No. That's something _you_ would do."

Bekhura chuckled. "Guilty as charged."

"No, the bag belongs to this boy I met yesterday. He wanted to get a shower in, so I'm watching his stuff for him."

"You only just met him yesterday and he already trusts you well enough to let you mind his belongings?"

"Hey!" Malik feigned indignation. "I'll have you know I'm a very trustworthy guy!"

"Is he?"

"What?"

Bekhura rephrased his question, all joking gone from his voice. "Is this boy trustworthy?"

"He... Namu is... " It took Malik a moment to find his voice. "... He reminds me of myself. The way I used to be. But also... he reminds me of the thief. In a good way, I mean."

Bekhura drew back, seemingly startled by this. When he spoke, his voice was low and level. "Malik, leave him."

Malik paused in confusion, staring at the other with raised eyebrows. "... What?"

"The last thing you need is another thief in your life!"

Malik stared at the other for a moment, no words coming out of his mouth. Then his face settled into a fierce glare. "Bekhura, you are literally the last person I need to take any advice from. I'm older and wiser than I was when your past selves amused themselves by playing games with my spirit. So, if you want to make yourself useful and give someone advice, why don't you go _advise_ Atem into looking into your little door of darkness problem."

A shocked face had come over Bekhura, but now it changed to a scowl. "Fine. Have fun rebounding with your new boyfriend. But don't come crying to me if you get yourself hurt. Actually, don't come crying to anyone – you'll only have yourself to blame."

And, once again, Malik suddenly found himself alone.

GnJ

"I'll be back in a half hour," Namu said as he narrowed his eyes. Hopefully, he looked intimidating. "And if I get back and my bag isn't here, I will personally cut your throat out and hang you from the nearest tree by your entrails."

Malik batted his eyelashes in a weird, flirty manner, just riding the edge between irritating and endearing. "Aw, Namu! You say the sweetest things!"

Okay. That was it. This was getting ridiculous.

"By the prophet, _would you just shut up_!" Turning sharply on his heels, Namu quickly walked to the showers. He didn't even care if Malik had a reaction or not – that weirdo could keep his thoughts to himself from now on.

But, if he was so infuriating, why trust him? Why let him hang around? Why did Namu feel so at ease with the boy's presence while, at the same time, not have any positive feelings about the boy personally?

Stupid Malik... Gaining his sympathy by telling that story of his, not just leaving when he wanted him to, proving himself to be a good companion...

… Seeming to be _attracted_ to Namu, and acting almost like he _enjoyed_ being around Namu ...

Son of a ****. Why did he have to show up and make everything even more complicated than it already was?

Growling under his breath in annoyance, Namu entered a curtained off "stall." It had been days since the teen had last showered, and now his hair was full of oil and his skin felt so gross and his clothing was covered with dry sweat. As soon as the curtain was secured behind him, shielding his form from prying eyes (though that hardly mattered; everyone was too busy dueling each other), the teen removed his top, followed by the bandages wrapped around her chest.

There. She could breathe again. Praise Allah, it felt good.

Standing underneath the shower, free from her confining attire, with cool water running through her hair and down her body... As she let any and all thoughts about Malik or her siblings wash out of her mind as the water washed over her body, Mariku Ishtar couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so free.

* * *

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 **Author's notes:**

 **So, what does everyone think about Namu turning out to be Mariku? I don't expect that anyone was surprised, but what did you think of the twist and how do you think the other characters would react to this revelation?**

 **An earlier draft of this chapter had Shadow Magus and Mokuba talking to each other and having a conversation. While interesting, this version was scrapped because I remembered that language barriers are a thing in this story. So, with Mokuba being unable to speak Ancient Egyptian and Shadow Magus unable to speak any form of Japanese, Mokuba gets his soul taken by the Pyramid of Light instead. (Hey, the kid had to get kidnapped at some point, right?)**

 **Two earlier drafts also included Malik admitting to Namu that he was over 5000 years old. (This chapter was rewritten about half a dozen times before I was happy with it. For anyone wondering why it takes so long between updates, that's why.)  
**

 **Since Malik (Yami Marik) is his own person in this story with an entirely different life, he's not a vegan like he and Marik are in original canon. Namu/Mariku (Marik) still is though.**

 **Yes, the Ishtars are Muslim in this story. It's just that Namu/Mariku isn't very strong in the faith and wants to get away from tradition, like many other young people of all backgrounds.**

 **Please remember to review if you're so inclined, and you're welcome to talk to me about parts you liked or questions you have about it.**

 **I hope you're all enjoying the story as it unfolds as much as I am and I'll see you in a couple months when I finish the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10

**[10/15/2017] I know, I know. It's been several months since the last update. I know and I'm sorry. It couldn't be helped.**

 **But, anyway, I'm not dead! And I've come bearing the next installment! (Freakin' finally)**

 **Chapter 10 is the longest chapter of the story yet, clocking in at almost 5,000 words. And it's got it all. Puzzleshipping? Sprinkled in there. Tendershipping? It's back. Bronze/ecclipseshipping? Present. Jou and Mai having a yelling match? You bet! The Puzzle is incredibly powerful but also completely useless? Absolutely. Serious conversations about personal feelings and even religious beliefs? Present!**

 **Seriously, this chapter took me 10 months to write, so I really hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Read on.**

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Chapter 10:

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[Author's Note: All dialogue in **BOLD** is being spoken in Japanese. Most non-bolded dialogue is spoken in various dialects of English, with the exception of Malik and Namu.]

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.

.

Yuugi worried her lip, tearing at the thin skin in frustration. Otogi's words were still in her ears, his face still in front of her face, both having been burned into her mind. She couldn't ignore it or forget it, hard as she might try.

So here she was, dueling another opponent, trying not to let the bad experiences she'd had so far dictate the rest of her trip.

" **Silent Magician, attack one final time!** " Yuugi held up her hand, pointing dramatically at her opponent's monster, guiding her own monster to the target. Her opponent's points plummeted down to nothing, and minutes later Yuugi found herself sliding another starchip into place on her wrist cuff.

" **You're on fire, Yuugi!** " Anzu cheered.

Jou laughed aloud, ruffling Yuugi's hair with his knuckles, smirking while the petite girl spluttered and tried to escape his grip. " **Sure are! No one defeats the Queen of Games, eh?** "

Yuugi didn't even get a chance to answer her friend. A voice that she felt she was becoming a little too familiar with by now suddenly spoke up from somewhere behind them.

" **I heard someone mention a 'queen of games,' so I assume you were talking about me.** " It was none other than Mai Valentine, of course, smug grin and all. " **Oh, I'm sorry. Were you talking to your little friend there?** "

Yuugi heard Jou actually _growl_ somewhere behind her head, causing her to sigh a bit. She didn't have the energy to deal with this!

" **Ah, come off it, Kujaku!** " Jou snarled at the woman. " **I've seen you duel on TV. You're not** _ **that**_ **tough! Not even close to Yuugi's skill level!** "

Yuugi decided to try defusing this situation before it escalated even more. " **Jounouchi-kun, please – !** "

" **Oh, really?** " Unfortunately, it seemed like Mai was having none of it. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring daggers at Jounouchi. She spoke with a strange mix of formal Japanese and casual American English. " **You think I'm a bad duelist** , _loser punk_?"

" **Not a bad duelist, but nowhere near as good as you seem to think you are!** " Jou took a few steps away from Yuugi, assuming some sort of fighting stance. He met Mai glare for glare. " **You think you're so high and mighty, huh? Why don't you try dueling me?!** "

" **Is that supposed to be some sort of challenge?"**

" **You heard me! You, me, an arena. Think you can beat me, Kujaku?"**

" **'** ** _Beat_** **you?' Kid, I'll** ** _crush_** **you!"**

" **Then stop talking about it and do it, woman!"**

Yuugi stood alongside Ryou, Anzu, Honda, and their new friend Atem, the five of them watching and listening in dismay as Jounouchi and Mai took the arena. As much as Jou needed to duel more people, dueling Mai "Valentine" Kujaku was anything but a good idea for an amateur duelist like he was. After all, Jou had only just learned the rules of the game two months ago and had really only dueled friends so far in his dueling career, while Mai was already a well-known duelist around the globe!

" **Maybe it'll be a short duel?** " Honda suggested, his voice sounding hopeful.

Yuugi shrugged. She settled down on the ground with the others, preparing to watch the duel and cheer Jou on as well they could. " **Go get her, Jounouchi-kun!** "

" **Remember what 'Jii-chan taught you!** "

Honda was supportive in his own way. " **Don't screw this up, stupid!** "

This earned him a glare from his friend at the podium. " **Watch your mouth, jerk!** "

" **Hey,** wise guy!" Mai interrupted them. " **I'm ready for my easy victory. Are you going to duel me or not?** "

Jou growled lowly in her direction. " **Oh, I'm dueling!** "

The two of them, the Japanese teen with a checkered past and the American woman with the bleached blonde hair, both set their decks down on the podium, signaling the game to start.

" _ **Let's duel**_ **!** "

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* * *

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To no one's great surprise, the duel was not going very well. In fact, Jou was losing at an alarming rate. Not only was he dueling against a professional competitor, but Mai had made a bit of a name for herself as a psychic in addition to being a tactical duelist.

"I wonder if she really _can_ see the cards in her deck before drawing them," Ryou mused aloud. " **What do you think, Yugi? Think she's psychic?** "

Anzu made a huffing sort of sound. " **Fat chance. It's probably a trick of some sort.** "

Yuugi couldn't think of an answer. Honestly, she was finding that it was still hard to get Otogi's words out of her head, despite the distractions around her. Again his words echoed in her mind, and again she wished that the scenario had gone differently.

She blinked in surprise when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Turning, she found herself facing Atem, the boy's eyes looking at her with concern. He tugged her a few feet away, so they could talk in relative privacy while still staying near the others.

"You are upset." He furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"... I don't know..." Part of her wanted to ask how he could tell, but she chose not to. "I guess I just let Otogi get to me, is all."

"Hm... He did seem rather upset." His hand didn't move. She didn't feel the need to shrug it off, though.

Yuugi frowned, remembering the face Otogi had made as she walked away. "He looked so angry. And... I think he threatened me?"

Atem quirked an eyebrow. "Threatened you?"

"I don't think he'd actually do anything, he didn't seem like the type, anyway, but... He looked so unhappy, and angry, and scared."

Atem was silent for a moment before fixing her with a look. "Are you upset about it because you feel that you hurt him, if not because you think he would actually harm you? Or - " His serious look was replaced by a playful smile. " - is it just because he was pretty and you didn't want him to dislike you?"

"What?" Yuugi was startled by his question. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh? You didn't think he was pretty? With those eyelashes and those gorgeous cheekbones of his?" Okay, now he was just teasing her.

"Okay, okay, he's very pretty! And I didn't want to make a bad impression! But... " She glanced away, trying to find the words to explain how she felt. The whole truth was that something about Otogi's haunted expression had struck a familiar chord with her, but she wasn't too keen sharing too much about herself with a new friend.

"... I don't like causing problems for people. I don't want to be a problem, for anyone. And it's even worse when the people seem nice and friendly, like Otogi." Not everything, but part of the problem.

They stood in silence for a minute or so. Atem's hand remained on her shoulder, it's pleasant warmth acting almost like an anchor, giving Yugi something to focus on and try to ground her thoughts with.

"Yuugi?"

His sudden question almost made her jump. "Eh?"

"I... I know we don't know each other that well, but I have to say, I have a hard time picturing you as a problem for anyone."

Yuugi sighed quietly, muttering under her breath in Japanese. " **You don't know my father.** " (1)

She didn't realize that she'd spoken aloud until she saw the look of confusion on Atem's face.

"I'm sorry?"

" **Ah, no, no!"** Switching back to English, she held her hands up in front of her and shook her head quickly, light bangs slapping against her cheeks. "Nevermind!"

Atem continued to look at her for a moment, but then he let it go, turning away with a smile. "Those two brothers we met earlier? What did you say their name was – Kow-bah?"

"Kaiba, Seto and Mokuba?" Oh man, she would _have_ to file that mangled name away for later. If nothing else, Jounouchi would appreciate it.

"Yes, them. You dealt with them like a person of experience, with the patience and dignity of a woman many times your age." He gave her a gentle but meaningful smile. "You're a very strong, kind young woman, and I'm only saying this because you look like you need to hear it from someone: You are the opposite of a problem, and if someone doesn't like you, then it's _their_ loss, not _yours_."

He sounded so genuine, Yuugi couldn't help but blush a little bit as she returned his smile. "Atem, I... Thank you."

She would have said more, but, before she could get anymore words out of her mouth, Mai and Jounouchi started a screaming match. It was hard to make out what Mai was trying to say as she just began screeching angrily, and Jou... between something about 'perfume' and 'cheating,' there were a lot of words leaving Jou's mouth that would make a grown man look away in shame.

"I don't know what he said..." Atem's voice cut into her thoughts, his broken English reminding her of their little language barrier and making her thankful that Jou's yelling was in his native tongue. "... but he sounds angry."

Yuugi sighed. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing what Jounouchi is saying right now. In fact, you're better off just not knowing what Jounouchi is saying most of the time."

" **Stop pretending to be psychic, woman!"** Jou was yelling in Japanese. Other island duelists were starting to stop and stare. **"Each of your cards has been sprayed with a different scent of perfume! I can smell it from here..."**

" **What, are you a** bloodhound **?"** Mai sneered. **"Okay, so what if you've seen through my trick? When last I checked, I was still winning!"**

" **Oh, yeah? We'll just see about** ** _that_** **!"**

Atem blinked in confusion before asking in English. "What are they saying?"

Anzu frowned, answering him in a short, clipped tone. "Jou says Mai is cheating."

" **Is she really cheating?"** Honda asked. **"Or is it just that her psychic gimmick is apparently a lie?"**

Anzu's tone somehow became even more clipped. "She's cheating."

Yuugi couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her friends' antics. Turning back to Atem, she tried to get back to what she had wanted to say to him earlier, before her thoughts were interrupted. "Anyway, Atem, about what you said... Seriously, thank you. It... It means a lot to me."

The Egyptian turned to her, his mouth stretching into a smile. "You're welcome, Yuugi. I'm glad I could help you feel better."

"That's really sweet of you." Yuugi gave him a grin that could almost be mistaken for mischievous. "And you're very pretty, too, by the way."

Atem's skin was dark, so maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but... she almost thought she caught him blushing slightly as she turned away.

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* * *

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Unseen by them, a figure with pale hair stood in the shadows beneath a nearby outcrop of trees, watching them closely.

Bekhura frowned to himself. Because of his intimate relationship with the deep darkness of the shadow magic, he could constantly feel the untapped magic and energy that existed in the world around him, and right now, all he could feel was a sense of imbalance. There was too much darkness and not enough light. To him, it felt like a sudden spike of anxiety.

Just as Bekhura was about to attempt getting the Pharaoh's attention, he heard a sound off to the side of him, making him spin around quickly, already glaring daggers at whoever had snuck up behind him. His eyebrows raised a bit when he saw who it was.

It was that girl from before. The one with the accent and the white hair. One of the Pharaoh's new little friends. The one who he'd wanted to kiss not so many hours ago.

"I didn't mean to surprise you like that!" She squeaked, sounding more than a bit surprised herself. "I'm really sorry!"

"What are you doing out here?" Bekhura demanded, pursing his lips in agitation. Someone had opened a rift in the darkness, and that wasn't good; he knew he was possibly the only person on this island who could sense the approaching danger, but this mortal girl had to be courting death itself to be alone right now. "Why aren't you with your friends?"

"Hello again, Cheshire cat," she replied, her soft voice sounding distracted. She kept turning her head and shifting her eyes, looking around in a variety of directions.

Bekhura's anger abruptly gave way to confusion. "Cheh-shur cat? What does that mean?"

"It's a character in a story. Remind me to tell you more about it later." She turned to look at him, and he could see there was an impish twinkle in her eye as she spoke. "But first, I want to tell you my name, and I want you to tell me yours."

"... Fair enough." He felt that same, strange, genuine smile grow across his face, the same one he had felt when talking with this girl last night. A reaction of his that apparently only this young woman could elicit from him. "I'm called Bekhura, fair Khonsu."

The girl raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? Your name sounds like mine. I'm Ryou, Bakura Ryou."

Bakura Ryou. The godling liked the way that sounded in his mind.

"Well then, Ryou, I'd like to ask what you're doing so far away from your friends." It didn't go unnoticed by him that this particular girl hadn't been with her friends the last time he'd spoken to her, either. "It's not safe for mortals to be alone right now."

"I sensed an imbalance of energy and wanted to find out what it was," she explained, surprising him. She could feel that? And without the use of an Item, no less?

Her eyes narrowed as she continued, glaring a bit at him. "And what do you mean by it not being 'safe for mortals?'"

Bekhura just looked at her for a moment, lost in thought. How much could he tell her? How much would she figure out on her own?

Finally, he turned around, his curiosity for her driving him in a different direction; he'd talk to the Pharaoh later. "Walk with me."

There was the sound of footsteps behind him, and he didn't need to turn around and look to know Ryou was following him, as curious about him as he was of her.

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* * *

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Mariku carefully fastened the fresh strips of gauze around her chest, binding herself until she could no longer feel those tell-tale curves as prominently as before. … And so, the girl Mariku Ishtar once again transformed herself into the boy Namu.

Briefly, he wondered how long he could keep up both identities – Mariku the girl and Namu the boy. What would happen if he slipped up? What would happen if anyone found out? (2)

The young Egyptian shrugged the thoughts away as he turned to leave. Making sure he hadn't left anything, he ducked back out of the temporary bathroom, eyes immediately scanning the area for that other boy who'd promised to keep watch over his belongings.

He furrowed his brow as realization sunk in. Why had he trusted Malik? He'd only just met him yesterday.

Why was it easier to trust a stranger than his own sister?

A body suddenly appeared beside him, almost making Namu jump. Turning quickly, he saw that it was only Malik, grinning like a panther and holding a backpack in front of him.

Namu sneered at the boy and snapped his backpack out of his hands. "Never do that again."

"Sorry." Malik didn't sound sorry at all. Namu had to suppress the urge to slap him.

Even so, the two fell into step beside one another, their strides matching almost equally. They fell into silence. Namu busied himself by looking around the surroundings, straining his eyes to see if there was anyone worth dueling at the nearby arenas.

Their silence was interrupted when Malik asked a question, something about his voice making it sound like it was something he'd been wondering about for some time.

"Is Allah the god you serve?"

Taken aback, Namu swiveled around to face the other and tilted his head to the side questioningly. "... Huh?"

"You said it earlier when you were upset, and it sounded like when I invoke my god's name, so I was wondering if you were a follower of this 'Allah.'"

"... Yeah. I'm... I was raised Muslim, so I guess you could say Allah is my god."

"You... guess?" Malik prompted, confusion written on his face. "You don't know?"

Namu pursed his lips, unsure of how to explain. "I was raised to follow him and the teachings of his word, but, to be honest, I don't feel very close to him. Not the way I'd like to be, anyway."

He expected to be laughed at, or ignored. Maybe even outright condemned. But, to his surprise, Malik only nodded.

"I was raised to serve Anubis, like the rest of my family," the other boy explained. He smiled weakly. "It didn't really work out for me." (3)

Now Namu was curious. This boy's family still worshiped the gods of the ancient world? "Do you worship another now?"

A grin, this time a real one, spread across Malik's face, his lips stretching from ear to ear. "I was brought into the service of Ra after my sister saved me from myself. And I've never felt happier." His face took on a serious look that appeared blank but was somehow full of meaning. "I am sorry for your current religious experience. I know how hard it is to be a religious individual but not feel as strongly about your faith as you think you should." (4)

Namu felt that he should say something, but he couldn't think of what to say. So, at least for awhile, he said nothing.

Malik continued, breaking the awkward silence again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything."

"No, it's... It's alright. I've just never talked about it with anyone before." He'd never _had_ anyone to talk to about it before. And no one had ever asked.

Maybe... Maybe this other guy wouldn't be so bad to hang out with during this tournament.

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* * *

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"NO!" Mai screamed, staring in horror at the dueling field before her, her eyes traveling between her beloved monsters with disbelief. "My harpies!"

Katsuya grinned at her from across the arena as he called his last attack. " **Go, Ancient Dragon! Destroy those crones in front of you! Blast of fire!** "

His monster obeyed him, spewing flames from its mouth, Mai's harpy trio screaming in agony as they were burned into piles of ash that dissipated into the air. Mai's life points dropped down to zero, declaring Jounouchi the winner.

He heard Yuugi and the others cheering for him from the sidelines. Taken a bit by surprise, Katsuya turned to find his friends all smiling proudly at him, Anzu clapping, Honda holding a victorious fist in the air, and Yuugi beaming from ear to ear. Even Atem was smiling, holding one hand up in a thumbs-up position.

" **Way to go, Jounouchi-kun!** " Yuugi called.

Smiling at his friends, Katsuya turned back to his opponent, his smile turning smug. " **Guess that means I get one of your starchips, eh,** Mai Valentine?"

She glared at him, face flushed with shame and embarrassment. Katsuya couldn't really blame her – she _had_ just been beaten by an amateur, after all. But, finally, she relented, moving her arm robotically and dropping a starchip into his waiting hand.

"We'll meet again," she hissed at him before turning on her heels and walking away.

Katsuya watched her go for a moment before turning back to his starchips. Maybe, if Mai were dueling with a purpose like he was, and not just focusing solely on herself, he'd at least be able to understand her. But, oh well, no matter. What's done is done. Shrugging to himself, he eagerly affixed his new starchip onto his cuff.

"Look at me go!" he called to his friends. He held his hand up high for everyone to see the two stars that glittered on his wrist.

"You were great, Jounouchi!" Anzu congratulated him. "Good job."

Honda agreed. " **Who would have thought you would beat a professional duelist on your first try?** "

"Too bad she wasn't a **real psychic, huh,** Ryou...?" Katsuya grinned as he turned to the girl... Or, more accurately, where the girl should have been. " **Eeeeh, guys?** Where's Ryou?"

Everyone else looked just as confused as he was. Yuugi looked slightly pale.

"She was right here a few minutes ago, wasn't she?" Yuugi asked, fiddling with her fingers uncomfortably.

Katsuya was quick to set a hand on his small friend's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Don't worry, Yuugi. She probably just wandered off. **You know she does that sometimes** _ **.**_ She can't be too far off."

Katsuya couldn't deny that Ryou's sudden vanishing act was concerning. While not uncommon for the white-haired girl to wander away from her friends without alerting them, she usually at least mentioned something to Yuugi. And, in the absence of his own sister from his life, Katsuya found himself thinking of Yuugi and Ryou more and more as sisters of sorts.

On the other side of Yuugi, Atem nodded. "It isn't a big island. It should not take long to find her again."

Anzu suddenly held her finger up in the air. "Wait! Before we start searching – Atem! Can you do that thing you did earlier? How you found Yuugi?"

Atem blinked at her and stared down at his pyramid-necklace-thing. "Perhaps. The Puzzle is fickle." (5)

"..." Katsuya had no idea what the boy was talking about. But, if it could find their friend, it was worth a shot. "Lead the way then, Puzzle Man."

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* * *

.

"Do you have a family, Ryou?"

Ryou looked up in mild surprise. After she and Bekhura had set out on their own, they hadn't actually spoken too much. They had watched some duels, quietly discussing who they thought would win and taking bets against each other (Ryou now owed Bekhura two candy bars and he owed her three), and now they were settled on a grassy knoll, rearranging Bekhura's deck. Apparently, he'd only dueled one other person so far and he decided to switch out some of his cards.

He seemed to like the monster Diabound, she noticed, since he not only had multiple copies of the card but also various supporting cards designed specifically for it.

"Well... yes. I live with my stepmother, my stepsister – Yuugi? She's the one with the hair? - and her grandfather. My father lives in England right now, though." Bakura Rusu was too busy being a college professor to spare any time for his daughter, after all. Not that she minded so much anymore. Rusu had married Yuugi's mother, Kangan, strictly to give his daughter a nice home to live in, and in return Yuugi's family had access to Rusu's money for whatever they might need. It was a relationship formed like a business partnership more than a family, but it could be much worse. And it meant Ryou and Yuugi could spend as much time together as they wanted, so there was that, too. (6 & 7)

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Ryou focused on the strange, shadowy male beside her, tilting her head curiously. "What about you?"

Bekhura shook his head. "No. Not really, I guess. I mean, I have my fathers, but..." An indiscernible look crossed his face briefly. "It's complicated?"

Huh. That wasn't a phrase Ryou heard every day. "'Fathers?'"

"Yes." His mouth lifted up into a smile again. "I have two fathers. And that's not even the complicated part." Setting his cards down, he turned his head to stare at her for a moment, studying her intently. "Should I tell you, I wonder?"

Ryou shrugged. "It's your business." As badly as she wanted to know more about the white-haired male, she knew there had to be boundaries.

Something shifted a little in Bekhura as he looked at her, almost imperceptible even to her, probably unnoticeable to anyone not paying close attention. The shadows on his face moved, almost as if they were growing, stretching across his face, those same shadows deepening and blackening and reflecting nothing but utter darkness, despite the brightness of the sun in the sky above. A reddish gleam moved across his eyes, both repelling Ryou and drawing her in at the same time.

"I really do wonder... Would you truly understand?"

Ryou could only watch him, no words coming to mind. She wanted to ask him so many questions ("What do you mean?" "Why is your face doing that?" "How are you doing that?" "What _are_ you?"), but instead she kept her mouth shut, watching him to see what he would do.

It hardly mattered, though, as suddenly a large shadow engulfed both of them, a pair of boots crunching into the ground just inches away from where Ryou's hand was resting. When Ryou looked again, Bekhura had gone back to normal, all of the changes that had come over him now gone, almost as if they were never there.

"Sorry," the stranger sneered, his voice thick with an American accent and disgust and not sounding the least bit sorry. "Am I interrupting the lovebirds?"

Glancing up at the man, Ryou couldn't help but quail a bit, trying to shrink back on herself. The man was tall with wide-set shoulders, a cruel smirk on his face. He wasn't even looking at her, though – instead, his eyes were training themselves on Bekhura, as if they could burn him up on the spot where he sat just by looking at him. Three other males stood behind him a ways, smirking and watching to see what would happen.

For his part, Bekhura barely looked up, seemingly finding more interest in picking up his cards from where they'd been slightly scattered, reshuffling a handful back into a deck and depositing the rest into a box. "I wondered when you would have the nerve to approach me." Turning to Ryou, he began explaining. "He's been following me for awhile. I think a friend of mine made him mad or something."

The man's smirk turned into a scowl. "Your spikey-haired _boyfriend_ thought he could get away with using me as a punching bag, and that other little bastard friend of yours stole a star chip from me." (8)

Bekhura stood slowly, shoving his hands in this pockets, staring up at the man with a bored expression from under his messy bangs. "I neither know nor care about what you're talking about, honestly. But if it's a duel you're after, I'd be more than happy to oblige." He grinned as he spoke that last sentence, and something about it made a shiver run up Ryou's spine.

Turning, he held a hand out to her, pulling her up to stand beside him. "Care to come along to watch, then?"

The American laughed for some reason that Ryou and Bekhura couldn't fathom. They both turned to stare at him, their faces mirroring one another in silent question.

"If you want your little girlie to come along," the man explained once he'd composed himself, "She can duel, too. Tag team duel. Me an' Bonz -" he jerked his thumb at the goth-ish midget standing behind him "- against you and the girl.

"'Course, that's assuming she even knows the rules of the game," he added. (9) Something about the way he said made it sound like he didn't think a female could partake in such a 'complicated activity,' a reaction that Ryou had gotten rather used to over the years. But that didn't make it any easier to take.

"I can duel circles around you!" She promised, hardly realizing the words were leaving her mouth before they were already out. "Pick an arena, if you're ready for your inflated ego to be crushed!"

The man looked at her with that infuriating grin that made her want to slap him. "I thought you'd never ask..."

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* * *

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Author's Notes:

(1) – Yuugi doesn't have a good relationship with her father in this fic for reasons that we will learn later in the story.

(2) – Mariku presents herself as two different people, each with personal genders. As Mariku, she is a 'she' because she was born and raised a girl, but as 'Namu' she presents herself as a 'he.' For her, being male = being a total different person, who is free and unrestricted.

(3) – Malik and Priestess Isis are from a family of Priests of Anubis, god of the dead. Isis married out of the family and became a palace courtier, where she began worshiping Ra, god of the sun, and her namesake Isis, mother god of the pharaoh. After Malik left the thief and Zorc, Isis brought him to live and work in the palace with her, were he pledged himself to Ra instead of Anubis.

(3 continued) – In addition, Shadi is descended from the same family that Isis and Malik originally belonged to, and was the last of the order.

(4) – Haha, bet you weren't expecting a serious conversation about religion and personal beliefs, were you?

(5) – Just like in the original series, the Puzzle is a deus ex machina that also only works when the plot needs it to.

(6) – "Rusu" is Japanese for, roughly, being "absent" or being "away from home." Since Ryou's dad is never around, that's the name I have christened him.

(7) – "Kangan," according to Google Translate, is translated as "sweet face" (why are you like this, Google?) as well as "embarrassed, ashamed, or confused." Since Yuugi's mom is introduced in the manga being confused and annoyed over her son playing games instead of going to school, I feel like the name works for her.

(8) – Keith is referring to Malik and Namu, but refused to learn their names or anything. (Probably because they're not American.)

(9) – Cinemasins 'ding' sound: "That's sexist."

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 **I hope you liked this chapter. If you did, don't forget to leave a review. (And no, not "update please!" That's just rude.) See you guys in the next chapter or next story, whichever comes first.**

 **And, for those who are unaware, there's a rewrite of my older yuumeishipping fic "Nestmates" up on my profile. It was really fun to write and I'm happy with how it turned out, so go give that a look if you haven't already and you like yuumeishipping and Ryou Bakura. Or dragons. Because there's a lot of dragons.**


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